Time
by TheRedWolfAlari
Summary: Five years. Five years since it was all over. Oh, how time flies. It can bring happiness, successful lives, and new beginnings. However, time can also torment you with the past coming back to haunt what is yours. For our six, the past will come back, and he will come back for revenge. Sequel to Coming Down. Rated M for Sexual Con/Language/Violence.
1. Chapter 1

**Time**

 **Part 1: Long Enough**

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Five years.

It's been five years since the phone call.

 _ **5 Years Ago**_

Boomer was still recovering from what was the battle of a lifetime when he got the call from his friend's frantic mother. He was lying in bed on the warm night of one of the first days of summer when his cell phone rang loudly. Boomer turned to his side and picked it up. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before answering.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice thick and low.

"Hello, is this Boomer Cromwell?" The quivering voice of a woman sounded from the receiver. Boomer sat up confused. Why was this random woman calling him at eleven o'clock at night?

"Yes? Who's calling?" The woman breathed out in relief.

"This…this is Mrs. Murdock. Jessie's mother." Boomer was fully awake now. Why would she be calling him in the middle of the night?

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Murdock. What can I do for you? Is…everything alright?" The woman sniffed before continuing.

"…Jessie is missing."

Boomer couldn't feel anything. The color in his face completely vanished. His hands turned white and clammy with perspiration. He could feel his heart stop for that split second. Did he hear her correctly? No, it couldn't be true.

"Jessie's what?" he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"Jessie is missing!" Mrs. Murdock said again frantically. "I mean, I can't blame him. Today was a terrible day. And we just got into the summer! Anyway, he got into it with his father again, and Mr. Murdock…hit him in the eye. I screamed at him and told him I would kill him if he ever put his hands on Jessie like that again. I told Jessie to go to his room so that I could take care of his eye. But when I went up, his room was completely empty! And what's strange about it all is that he didn't take anything with him. No bag, no clothing, no jacket, not even his phone. It was all just sitting there. We called the police, but they just filed a missing person's report. They told us that we should contact any of his friends to see if they knew something, so that's why I called you. Jessie talked pretty highly of you when he first met you." Boomer pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew he hadn't been a very good friend to Jessie. He was so worried about himself and his own sanity that he didn't stop to consider how Jessie felt. He even used Jessie to get off. Jessie was too sweet of a person to just be used like that. He wished he could tell the brunette he was sorry to his face.

 _I didn't even call him after it was all over. God…maybe you still are evil, Boomer._

"Yeah, I'm sure he did," he said with a sigh. "Well, I'm sorry, Mrs. Murdock, but I have no idea where he could be. He didn't call me or anything. We haven't really spoken in a while." Mrs. Murdock sniffed once more. Boomer could tell that the woman tried her best to hold back a waterfall of emotions at the disappointing news.

"Oh…okay. Thank you anyway, Boomer. I, uh…I hope we find him. I don't know how I could live without my little boy…" The wave of undeniable guilt hit Boomer once more. She sounded so broken. Her life was shifted in a complete 180.

"I hope you find him too. And please let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

"I will. Well…goodnight, Boomer."

"Goodnight, Mrs. Murdock." The silence of the ended call seemed so loud in Boomer's ear. He clicked his phone off and set it on the bedside table. He lay back down in his disheveled blankets and pulled them up to his chest.

How could Jessie just leave like that? Well, Boomer knew why. Jessie even told him how hard life was getting for him. Boomer couldn't blame Jessie for wanting to get away. But even though Jessie hated being in his home, Boomer never got the feeling that he would actually run away! And what about all of his friends? Then again, Jessie was never a social person. The only friend he seemed to ever get close to was Boomer.

And he fucked it up.

Boomer sighed and rubbed his face. He cursed himself for being such an asshole. He should've said something different, done something different, been there for him more no matter what. He was a shitty friend!

 _Oh Jessie, wherever you are I just want you to know that I am sorry._

" _I'm so sorry,_ " he whispered.

All he could do then was to pull up the covers, close his eyes, and let sleep try to ease his mind.

That was five whole years ago.

Now twenty-three years old, the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys were grown up and out of university.

Blossom attended the highest school she could find and majored in Advanced Astrophysics. She graduated Valedictorian with the highest GPA and overall grades in her school in history. Buttercup majored in Sociology and had better grades than she did in her high school years. She, surprisingly, was the most successful in her class. Bubbles found her calling through the Arts. She double majored in Theater and Sculpting. She was the star of almost every school show, and her sculptures won several awards. They were even placed in different parts of the campus.

The boys had successful college lives also. Butch spent his major in Communications. He flip-flopped between several majors before setting his sights on Communications. Something about social situations captivated the man. Boomer majored in Languages. Being very adaptable to the different tongues around the world allowed his classes to run by very smoothly. Both graduated with high marks anyone else would be jealous of.

Brick, however, signed up for a military based school. He thought it would be a great way to let go of his criminal past and to build character. He even caught the attention of the U.S military force during his third year of college. He graduated a year early and enlisted without hesitation. He mostly stayed on home grounds, but, occasionally, he got to travel the world. His family (and Blossom) missed him dearly. It would be a treat just to get a card from him in the mail. Brick longed to see them again, but he had no idea when he would be able to.

After college life ended, Blossom moved in with her sweetheart: a tall brunette named Vincent. He was smart, creative, and had a pretty good sense of humor. Not as good as Brick's, she did admit, but it was pretty good nonetheless. She loved the idea of moving in with him ever since she met him in class. He was charming and treated her like a lady instead of a piece of superhero meat like so many of the others. They went out almost immediately after meeting each other and automatically clicked. Vincent planned the most romantic dates he could think of, and they all went very well for the both of them.

Of course, with great power comes great media attention. Every single tabloid and celebrity gossip column kept tabs on them whenever they would go out. They even got a hold of when and where they were going to move in together. Blossom thought it was a complete invasion of privacy, but Vincent told her to just let them have their fun.

As all of these romantic happenings took place, however, Blossom couldn't help but think about Brick almost 24/7. Every time she would crawl into bed with her supposed beloved, she couldn't help but let her mind wander to Brick. She wanted to know how everything was going for him in the military. The postcards she would get ceased arriving every weekend in her tiny apartment mailbox, and she couldn't help but be worried about him. She knew he was never in the field, but she still couldn't help but be a bit worried. She knew he could take care of himself, but still…

She just wanted, _needed_ to see him again.

* * *

It was a bright Saturday afternoon in the middle of October. Blossom just came home from her job at the lab. She leaned against the door and sighed. She kicked off her red heels and removed her pink jacket. She set it on the coat rack before sitting her large bag down onto the floor.

"Babe, I'm home!" she called. No answer. She moved to the small kitchen and saw a bright pink sticky note on the bare refrigerator. She walked up to it and read the note.

" _Blossom, won't be home until later tonight. Had to go to a dinner for one of my co-workers. I made some spaghetti and put it in the fridge. Just heat it up when you get hungry. Love you, Vinnie._ "

Blossom sighed and opened the fridge to pull out the large bowl of spaghetti.

After heating her meal up in the microwave, Blossom grabbed a soda out of the fridge and made her way to the living room. It was small like everything else in the apartment. The TV was the only large thing in it. The couch was sitting just in front of it with a small table on each side. The coffee table sat in the middle of the room with a rug under it, and the soft carpet nestled underneath that. The window looked over a handsome park that was across the street from the apartment. Blossom could see children playing in it all of the time.

She plopped down on the sofa and grabbed the remote to switch on the television. She ate her food in peace, happy that Vincent was such a good cook, as she watched her favorite shows. Suddenly, her cell phone rang in the pocket of her pencil skirt. She reached in and brought it to her face. It was Bubbles. She tapped the speak button and held the receiver to her ear.

"Hey, Bub—"

"AHHHHHHHHHH! HE'S COMING BACK! HE'S COMING BACK!" Blossom moved the phone away from her ear, wincing at the loud shrieking. She placed it back at her ear.

"Bubbles, what are you on about? Who's coming back?" Blossom thought her sister was just talking about some stupid actor from one of her favorite TV shows, but the answer she got almost made her choke on her dinner.

"BRICK! BRICK'S COMING BACK!" Blossom set down the fork that she lifted to her mouth.

"What?" she asked, wondering if she heard wrong.

"Brick is coming back! Boomer just got word from him! He said he would be on the next flight to Townsville tomorrow morning. He's due back here around six-ish. I thought it would be a great idea to throw him a little welcome back dinner! Get those old party clothes out girl, 'cause I am going to throw one hell of a get-together!" Blossom couldn't speak. Brick, the infamous Brick Cromwell, was coming back home to Townsville. Well, there goes all of her worries about him. But why didn't he contact her?

"Blossom, you still there?" Bubbles asked, the smile still etched onto her face.

"I'm here," Blossom finally answered.

"Weeeell, how do you feel? I mean, Brick is coming back. How awesome is that? You totally missed him, didn't you, Blossom?" The smirk was so obvious that Blossom could hear it.

"He wishes I missed him." Bubbles snorted.

"Oh come on! You totally missed him! And you still like him, don't you?" It was Blossom's turn to scoff.

"I have never said I liked him!"

"Oh yeah? What about the summer after junior year? You came into my room and completely poured your heart out about how much Brick meant to you."

"I was just a stupid teenager, Bubbles! I didn't know what I wanted. Brick isn't good for me. Vincent is a great guy, and I can actually see us getting married and having children." Bubbles huffed. She, out of all people, was probably the biggest Blossom and Brick shipper around. She couldn't get enough about fantasizing what kind of life they would have together. Blossom knew she would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy it at least a little bit.

"Right. Sure you were, Blossom. Look, just be ready for the dinner tomorrow. Oh, and I guess Vincent is invited." Blossom chuckled.

"He better be. He's a part of this family now, too, you know."

"Unfortunately…" Bubbles groaned back. Blossom smiled.

"No matter how much you don't like it, he is. Now, I will see you tomorrow then."

"Fine. See you tomorrow. Oh, and before I forget, you are coming with us to pick him up from the airport, BYE!" Bubbles quickly ended the call with a shaken Blossom on the other end.

"Wait, what? Bubbles? Bubbles?" She glanced down at the screen of her phone."Huh…love you too, sis." Blossom rolled her eyes and set down her phone on the coffee table.

 _Brick's coming home. Oh. Shit._

* * *

She was such a wreck. She couldn't think straight at all! Brick would be in Townsville within the next hour! She currently stood in front of the full body mirror in the bedroom. She smoothed out the loose-fitting red dress that hugged her fairly large chest and slim waist. The bottom flowed out in graceful ruffles and the black sash that was tied around her waist fit snug on her body. She messed with her bangs a bit before adjusting the bun her long hair was in. The ruby necklace that Vincent bought her sat on her exposed upper chest.

Oh, why was she so nervous? It was just Brick! The Brick that fought her almost every other day when they were kids, the Brick that she ended up going to school with, and even the Brick she crushed on most of her junior and all of her senior years. Seeing him again after five years, _five years_ …

Her heart jumped. Five years was such a long time. What if he wasn't the same old Brick? What if the military changed him into some stiff, humorless board?

 _Nothing can change that boy_ , she reassured herself. She smiled and continued to twist and turn in the mirror.

Vincent moved out of the bathroom in his well-fitted tux. His dark brunette waves cascaded down his neck into a wavy flip at the back. His large brown eyes glanced at Blossom with a smirk. He came up behind her in the mirror and grabbed her waist.

"Look at you, babe." He chuckled deeply. "Are you sure you're not trying to seduce me?" Blossom smiled.

"The last thing I wanna do is seduce you right before I leave." Vincent lowered his head and planted light kisses on her neck.

Blossom couldn't help but lean against him. He continued to kiss all of the right places on her tender neck. She gasped not wanting him to stop. The only thing that pulled her out of her own bliss was the flash of Brick's face in her mind. Her eyes snapped open, and she pulled herself away from his grip.

"I really have to go, Vinnie. The last thing I want is an angry Bubbles calling me." Vincent chuckled and moved away. "I'll text you before I come to pick you up for dinner. Try to be ready by then." Vincent called back in agreement. Blossom grabbed her phone from the desk and her purse from the chair. She called out a goodbye to Vincent before jogging out of the room toward the front door.

She grabbed her black stilettos and slipped them on before grabbing a black leather jacket from the coat rack. She slipped it on, zipped it up, and headed out the door. Blossom jogged to the elevator and pressed the 'B' button. She was so excited! The nervousness she had been feeling was slightly replaced by the feeling of excited anticipation at seeing her high school crush again. It had been way too long.

Blossom slipped into the sleek black car and started it up. She backed out of her spot before driving to the garage door and opening it up with the press of a button. She turned on the Bluetooth that was connected to her phone and started up her playlist. All the while as she was driving, Blossom realized that she either played love songs or all out sex songs. She was even surprised that she played _Bang Bang_ multiple times and sang along more than once.

She pulled up to Bubbles' place and parked her car on the street. She spotted her green sister's, Butch's, and Boomer's cars all lined up right outside the house. So much for being the first one there. She shut the car off and grabbed her purse before stepping out of the vehicle. She walked up to the small suburban home and pressed the doorbell. She waited on the porch until Bubbles opened the door with a large grin plastered on her face. Her curly hair and done up face told Blossom that her sister took hours to get ready.

"Hey, Blossom! Come in, come in!" she exclaimed. Blossom giggled and moved into the house. Bubbles closed the door behind her and whistled at her sister. "Damn, Bloss! You look hella good!" Blossom giggled once more.

"Did you just say 'hella'?" she asked. Bubbles laughed.

"Yeah, adventures in the underworld can really change a person," she joked. Blossom grinned and looked around the house.

"The place looks nice."

"Just wait until you see the dining room. I made everything extra fancy for our Guest of Honor tonight." Blossom rolled her eyes before sniffing the air.

"Wow, whatever it is you're cooking, it smells great." Bubbles nodded.

"Baked chicken. It's still in the oven. It'll be done by the time we get back. Well, come in! Don't just stand by the door like a loser." Blossom's jaw dropped playfully.

"Hey, this loser has the highest ranking degree, may I remind you." Bubbles brushed her off and started back toward the kitchen, her baby blue dress bouncing along with her. Blossom removed her shoes and set down her purse on the light blue bench next to the door. She moved down the hall and peeked into the living room.

"Hey, there she is! What's up, Leader Girl?" Buttercup exclaimed. She moved from the couch and ran up to her redheaded sister. Blossom welcomed her with open arms.

"Buttercup, you look amazing! I'm loving the hair." Buttercup grinned as she patted the sides of her head. Her hair was in a sort of mohawk style, with the strands at each side of her head braided down to create a shaven look. The mohawk was spiky and shot out in different directions in the front and back. The tips were even dyed a light green. A color that only the toughest fighter could pull off.

"Bubbles and I went to the salon before this and got it done. It wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be, to be honest."

"Well, I'm glad you had fun."

"Hey, what about us?" The sisters turned and looked at the two boys— _men_ — that sat in front of the TV. Blossom smiled at them both.

"Of course, you two always look good." Butch nodded in approval with a smirk. His hair wasn't as long as it had been, but it was still spiky to the max. Blossom always wondered how he could just wake up in the morning with awesome hair. Maybe he was secretly an anime character. At least, that's what Bubbles said when the girls were on the subject. It was like morning after hair but with class.

Boomer couldn't go wrong with his blonde waves. His dirty blonde hair always was stylish. After high school, however, the blonde decided to get his neck length locks cut down to size. They now fit perfectly on his head and stop right on the top of his neck. The few strands that fell on his forehead said he wanted to seduce the panties off of every woman in the world with just his hair.

Before Blossom could sit and watch TV with the others, Bubbles rushed out of the kitchen, grinning.

"It's five thirty! We should go. We don't want to get stuck in traffic." The rest of them agreed, and Boomer shut off the TV. Blossom took a deep breath before following the group to the front door. They all made it to their respective cars outside.

Buttercup decided she would ride with Butch and Boomer in the green Rowdyruff's car. Bubbles turned to her sister and grabbed her hand.

"You wanna ride with me, Bloss? I'm sure you're going to need some emotional support before and after we get there." Blossom snorted humorlessly. She knew her sister was right.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that." Bubbles nodded and tugged Blossom along to her truck. The two got in, and Bubbles led them all towards the airport.

Luckily, the group didn't get stuck in traffic. It was five forty-five when they all arrived at the airport. The parked right where Brick was supposed to come out from. They hopped out of their cars and headed inside. Blossom's heart beat faster with every single step.

Once they made it to the gate, Rachel, Professor, and Mojo could be seen sitting in the rows chatting away. Professor spotted them first and waved them over with a smile. The young adults sat down with them and proceeded to wait for the plane to land. Blossom was the only one who didn't speak at all while the others were talking. She was just too anxious to speak to anyone.

Just in the middle of one of Rachel's stories, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and her face brightened.

"It's a text from Brick. He says that they should be landing any minute now." The group grinned at each other excitedly.

That minute came a lot faster than Blossom anticipated. They all watched as the plane pulled up to the docking station outside of the large windows. The setting sun glowed on the all white plane mystically. The group all stood up and smoothed out their clothing. Blossom took a heavy breath and stood up with them. Soon, passengers began to swarm out of the docking station. Blossom's anxiety kicked up every time a passenger would pass. At least she wasn't as bad as Rachel. The poor woman began to cry as soon as the first person appeared. Mojo offered one of his spare handkerchiefs, and she clutched it in her hands like her life depended on it.

"Oh my god… _there he is_ …" Rachel cried. Everyone grinned happily as the large body clad in camouflage exited the dock. Blossom's heart skipped a beat, and her whole body clamped up. There he was. There he was indeed.

He seemed so much bigger. Blossom didn't know if it was the camo or the muscle mass he gained. His feet were in large boots that seemed to be for someone twice a normal man's size. His ever-present red snapback sat like a great crown atop his head. His face was covered in slight stubble that made him even more like the man he grew to be. His large, military bag sat up on his back and the two rolling suitcases were clutched in his large hands. His red eyes scanned the rows of people and instantly caught sight of the large, teary family that awaited him.

Brick smiled instantly and let go of one of his bags to clutch his mouth. He set them both down and shimmied out of his military bag. He stood there for a while before the two bodies of his brothers began to sprint towards him. Brick grinned and ran right at them in turn. The brothers embraced for the first time in five years.

Boomer couldn't help but let his tears flow. He cried into Brick's shoulder, his whole body racked in shivers. Butch tried to hold back, but the hot liquid from his eyes cascaded down his cheeks as well. Even Brick couldn't help but be caught up in his emotions. The brothers held each other for a long while before pulling away. Butch sniffed and wiped at his eyes before smiling.

"Look at you. Ya got fuckin' old, big brother." Brick let out a hearty laugh throwing his head back.

"Don't worry. It's gonna happen to you too someday." He quipped scuffing Butch's hair. "You finally got that haircut, I see." Butch chuckled.

"We're so happy you're back," Boomer added. Brick turned to him and grinned.

"I'm happy to be back, Baby Blue." Butch frowned slightly, glancing up at Brick's hat. Brick stared at him and smirked playfully. "You alright, bro?" He asked chuckling.

"Brick…take off your hat." Butch commanded. Brick's smirk broke out into a smile as he reached up for his red hat. He grabbed the bill and tugged it off his head. Boomer gasped, and Butch became wide eyed.

"Like it?" Brick asked. His hair wasn't in the famous, shoulder length ponytail his brother's were used to but was now cut close. The short, dark red locks sat in waves upon his head. His bangs were pushed back in flips on each side of his head, which he combed back from his forehead. The ends of the locks sat perfectly against his head, coming to a point right above the back of his neck.

"Holy shit, they made you chop it off?" Butch asked still staring at Brick's new hairdo.

"Yup, it's all gone. Well, sort of. But I kind of like it short," Brick stated. Boomer smiled in agreement.

"Oh yeah, you look great! We're practically twins!" The blonde chuckled patting his own hair. Brick chuckled as Butch and Boomer moved to pick up his luggage. They then led him to the rest of the family, who were waiting in anticipation.

"Hello," he said shyly once they arrived. A sudden blow to the arm by his teary, red-eyed mother made him flinch. "Ow!"

"Don't you _ever_ run off like that again! You scared us all half to death when you left! Damn you…" She sniffed before collapsing into her son's arms. Brick chuckled and hugged her close.

"I promise I won't ever run off like that again, Rach. Promise." Rachel pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Good. Or else I _will_ come after you. And…I love the hair…" she stated. Bubbles squealed when Brick turned to her and literally jumped into his arms. He spun her around a few times before setting her back down.

"I missed you, big bro! Don't leave ever again!" Brick chuckled and grabbed her hands.

"Count on it, little sister." He let go of Bubbles' hands and moved to Buttercup. The two embraced warmly, smiles planted on their faces. He planted and long, wet kiss on her forehead to Buttercup's displeasure.

"EW! Knock it off, dickhole!" She shoved him away with a small smile tugging on her lips.

"Oh, how I've missed you, sweet Buttercup!" he exclaimed dramatically. He then moved to Professor and Mojo. He warmly embraced each one before turning towards the one he really wanted to see. Bubbles looked from Brick to Blossom and back again. A devious smile tugging on her lips as she stared at the two. Brick played with his hat as he stared at the Powerpuff in front of him. Blossom blushed massively as she stared back, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Hey, uh, we'll meet you two back out at the cars." Bubbles motioned for everyone to follow. Once they were gone, the two leaders were left all alone.

* * *

 **Well, well, well, look who's back. I don't even know what to say. I couldn't wait. I was missing this storyline too much. Don't worry. Overworld is still my priority right now. I am determined to finish. I've planned out where I want it to end up so all I have to do is get there. But you guys can fan-squeal over this for a good minute, lol.**

 **So I hope you all like! See ya later!**

 **Bye Guys**

 _ **~TheRedWolf**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright seriously guys, if you haven't read _Coming Down_ yet, you really need to before reading from this chapter on! If you decide to read further on without reading the first story, you will me mighty confused with all of the later drama that for sure ensue. Characters from _Coming Down_ will be coming back and the characters will be speaking about the happenings in _Coming Down_. So, you have been warned!**

 **Proceed! :D**

* * *

 **Time**

 **Part 1: Long Enough**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Brick stared down at her, taking in her figure. He marveled at how much time could change a person. Her face thinned out into a more mature shape. Her curves dipped along her waist and down to her moderately sized thighs. Her chest…her chest… man, did she look good in that dress! No, no he couldn't think about her that way. They hadn't seen each other for five years, and he was already imagining her naked in his bed. Damn it.

"Hey," he began. Blossom stared into his eyes.

"Hi," she squeaked. He boldly reached for her jacket and played with the golden zipper. Blossom realized their closeness in that split second. She could feel his warmth on her very skin. His breath spread along her face. The way he towered over her was exciting to say the least. Vincent was tall, but not Brick tall. He leaned down and breathed in her ear.

" _So, do I get a hug or not?_ " he whispered. Blossom gasped slightly and stared up at his face as he backed away with a warm smile. Blossom giggled and smiled back.

"I suppose so." Brick chuckled and moved his arms around her waist, pulling her in. Blossom wrapped her arms up around his broad shoulders and hugged him back. Brick squeezed her small body gently, taking her all in. He missed her so much.

It seemed like an eternity before they let each other go. Blossom smiled up at him and looked deeply into his blood red eyes. She knew he was top dog in his squad. With those incredible eyes, no one would want to mess with him.

"I…I guess we should head back to the cars. Don't want Bubbles' special dinner to get cold." Brick nodded. He bravely moved his hand to her face and caressed her red cheek with his thumb.

"Yeah, I guess we should." Blossom was sure she was going to explode in ecstasy if he kept touching her like that. She grabbed his hand and moved it away from her cheek. She kept his hand in hers and pulled him along to the exit of the airport.

Once the two made it to the rest of the family, all eyes were on them. Blossom gulped and cast her gaze down. Bubbles and Buttercup knew something was up. The two redheads stopped by the others in silence. She quickly withdrew her hand from Brick's. Blossom grew agitated by the staring eyes.

"Are we going or not?" The group suddenly broke out into nervous chatter and quickly moved to their respective cars. Butch offered to have Brick ride with him, Boomer, and Buttercup. With one final stare at Blossom, he agreed.

"Come on, Bloss. You're still riding with me." Bubbles pulled her flustered sister towards the truck and opened the passenger door for her. Blossom climbed in and waited for Bubbles to start the car. Once she did, Bubbles honked her horn once to get everyone else to follow. Soon, the group was on the road back to the blonde's house.

"Okay, spill!" Bubbles said after five minutes of silence. Blossom sighed. She knew she couldn't hold out on her sister for too long.

"Nothing happened…" she said plainly.

 _Yeah, right, Blossom. Who are you trying to convince: Bubbles or yourself?_

"Bullshit! If nothing happened, you wouldn't look the way you do right now."

"Fine! You wanna know what happened?" Blossom glared at her sister. Bubbles nodded, keeping her eyes on the road. "He…well, he really just hugged me."

"But?" Bubbles could tell there was more.

"But…it was _**how**_ he did it. At first, he stood _very_ close to me and started playing with my zipper. I could just _feel_ him. All that he is. All that he was. The heat that was _radiating_ off of him. I could feel it all. Mmm, it was such a good hug. I know that sounds childish and cheesy, but it was a really, really great hug." Bubbles smirked with a giggle.

"And you say you don't secretly like him. You are such a bad liar, Bloss. You should ask BC for some pointers." Blossom glared at the blonde.

"I don't like him, damnit! It's just… it's just…" Bubbles shushed her.

"It's okay, Bloss. I get it." The two sat silently for a while before Blossom spoke once more.

"Don't mention it to Vincent, okay?" Bubbles smiled and placed a loving hand over Blossom's.

"You got it."

[Break]

"Bubbles, hurry up! We're starving in here!" Buttercup yelled out into the hallway for her sister.

"Hold your fucking horses! I'm coming, goddamnit!" Bubbles yelled back.

The group all piled into the blonde's house once they got there and entered the beautifully put together dining room. The large wooden table was covered by a dark, ocean blue tablecloth, and a large candle stand stood lit right in the middle. The curtains were drawn, and the dark room was dimly lit by the small lights on the ceiling. The boys and Rachel all sat on one side while the girls sat on the other. The Professor took one head of the table as Mojo took the other. Soon, Bubbles entered the room with the steaming baked chicken in her hands. She set the chicken down on the table and brushed her hands together.

"Well, it's finished! I hope you all love it because it took me hours to prepare." Bubbles plopped down in her chair next to Buttercup.

"Everything looks wonderful, sweetheart," Professor complimented. Bubbles smiled brightly before giving the signal.

"Well, go on. Everyone dig in!" The family all began to scoop all kinds of foods onto their plates. Blossom smiled to herself when she saw Brick with a mountain of pretty much everything on his plate. She then noticed his brothers who all had the same food mountain on their plates.

 _They sure are siblings_ , she thought to herself.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed on the table. Blossom picked it up and saw that Vincent was trying to call her. She swiped the green phone icon and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Hey, where are you? You told me not to get you, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, babe. I just needed some extra time to get ready. I'm outside, by the way, if you wanna let me in."

"Okay, hold on, I'm on my way." Blossom hung up her phone and excused herself.

"Where are you going?" Bubbles asked.

"To let Vincent in." Blossom trotted out of the dining room to the front door. Brick glanced at Bubbles.

"Who's Vincent?" The whole table stopped and stared at the redhead before looking at one another. Bubbles swallowed nervously and set down her fork.

"Uh, well-" Bubbles was suddenly interrupted by the two standing at the dining room archway.

"Hey all!" Vincent waved at the group. They all waved back with nervous smiles. Buttercup smirked and leaned towards Bubbles.

" _Ohohoho, the drama tonight is going to be_ _ **epic!**_ " Bubbles rolled her eyes.

" _Shut up_ ," she looked back at Vincent. "Hey, Vince! Uh, we saved you a seat right next to Bloss. Oh, and this is Brick, and Brick, this is Vincent…Blossom's boyfriend." Brick made a sharp gurgling sound as he choked slightly on the wine he was drinking. He composed himself before setting the glass back down. He wiped the liquid from his mouth with the cloth napkin and stood up with a large, over the top smile plastered on his face. He stuck out his broad hand across the table.

"I'm Brick, Brick Cromwell. Nice to meet you." Vincent smiled up at the man and took his hand with a friendly shake.

"Ah, so you're the famous Brick I've been hearing about. Good on you for joining the military, man. That takes some serious balls." Brick grinned, letting go of his hand.

"You don't seem like the type to be very familiar with having any." Brick's grin never left his face.

"Brick," Blossom warned, scrunching up her face. Brick shrugged and sat back down. His brothers tried their best to cover up their snickers. Vincent glanced at Blossom. The redhead smiled nervously up at him before pulling him to the seat next to her.

Dinner went by as smoothly as Bubbles hoped. Of course, Brick almost always got a dig in whenever Vincent said something about himself or about Blossom. Bubbles could see the anger and envy stabbing their way throughout his deep, blood red eyes. She felt sorry for him. She could only imagine what it felt like to come home to the one you love and to see them with someone else. She was all too familiar with that type of pain.

After dinner, the group moved to the backyard. Bubbles prepared a nice fire and pulled up some plush chairs so everyone could sit. Blossom and Vincent sat in a loveseat next to the blazing flames. Brick scoffed and moved to the other side of the fire and sat down, crossing his large arms. Blossom felt a stab in her chest. She needed to talk to him and soon.

As the others were talking, Butch and Buttercup decided to lay on a large blanket on the ground away from the others. They lay side by side, looking up at the twinkling stars and the full, bright moon. Buttercup turned on her side to glance at him.

"Butch, are we ever going to make this official? I mean, we've already spilled the beans to our siblings. Don't you think it's time?" Butch stared down at her.

"Are you ready to take that step?" Buttercup nodded.

"Look at how long we've been committed to each other. We've been together longer than most married couples, I bet! I think we should take this step." Butch looked deep into her eyes.

First, they were just fuck buddies. They had sex whenever they got an itch to see each other. Butch wasn't one for relationships, but he loved this woman. Oh, how he loved her. During their senior year, he tried to convince himself that he didn't love her. He didn't love anyone. He was Butch Cromwell: hard on the outside and on the inside. But something in Buttercup changed that. After that, it wasn't just sex anymore. They made love to each other. He wanted to satisfy her more than himself. Afterwards, he would pull her into his arms as they fell into a deep sleep. It scared him shitless at first, but then he felt himself falling. He fell, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Butch smirked and lifted himself on his side, his elbow supporting him. He moved his hand down to her cheek and caressed the soft flesh. He leaned down and kissed her sweetly on her pink lips. Buttercup grabbed his neck to deepen the kiss. They pulled away with a sharp smack and stared into each other's eyes.

" _I love you,_ " Butch whispered. "I want to spend as much time with you as I can. I'm willing to take that step with you. I always have been." He leaned his forehead onto hers. Buttercup smiled.

"I love you, too. But I think you've always known that." Butch planted one last kiss on her lips before laying back down. Buttercup snuggled to his chest as he put his arms around her.

"So, I guess this makes you Mrs. Butch Cromwell now." Buttercup laughed outright.

"We're not _that_ official, Butch!" The green Rowdyruff smirked with a chuckle.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Well, I have my own place and a devastatingly empty bed. If we hurry, we could heat it up a bit." Butch chuckled.

"I like the way you think, kitten." The two quickly pulled themselves off of the ground and straightened out their clothing. They walked hand in hand to the fire.

"Hey guys, come to join us?" Bubbles asked, sticking another marshmallow in her mouth.

"Actually, we just wanted to tell you thanks for inviting us, and we'll see you all later," Buttercup explained.

"You two are leaving already?" Blossom asked.

"Yeah, we're getting kind of tired," Butch said with a shrug. Brick scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, right. You two just want to get home so you can ride the carnal carousel with each other." Buttercup could feel her face heat up. Professor cleared his throat rather loudly.

"I'd rather not think of my daughter on that particular carousel, if you don't mind." Buttercup rolled her eyes and pulled Butch out towards the front.

"Goodbye!" The rest of the group waved back. Silence befell them awkwardly before Bubbles pulled out a large bag of marshmallows.

"Anyone want a s'more?"

* * *

Three weeks passed since Brick's arrival back in Townsville. Boomer agreed to let him stay at his place until Brick found a nice place of his own. The two got along for the most part. Brick was flattered that his very eager brother wanted to hear all about his "war stories." But, sometimes, Boomer would have to sit down and hear a giant, raging rant on the pink Powerpuff and her current squeeze. Brick went off on how Vincent wasn't good for her, and how he's just using her to stay on the super heroine's good side. Brick even said that Vincent only liked the media attention and didn't love Blossom at all! Boomer loved his brother, but, sometimes, he just wanted to use his electrokinesis to make Brick's head explode.

Blossom, on the other hand, was calling up her blonde sister day in and day out for three weeks straight to rave on about her oh-so-confusing feelings for her counterpart. Bubbles even got to the point of turning off the sound on her phone as soon as she saw Blossom's face pop up onto her screen. If Blossom was acting like that, she only wondered how Boomer was dealing with Brick. They needed to get the two redheads to talk to each other and fast.

Amongst all of the mayhem that the two redheads were causing for Bubbles and Boomer, Buttercup had her own battles to fight. One cloudy morning, Buttercup woke up with a sudden revelation. She noticed how sick she has been getting for the past few days and began to think the worst had happened. She decided to fly to the nearest drugstore and to pick up a small package that held something she never thought she would buy. Once she got back home, she flew back to her apartment and into her bathroom. She closed the door and opened the small paper bag that held the box. She tore it open and read the instructions quickly before following them. She found it rather gross that she actually had to pee on the plastic stick to find out very vital information about her current state. She decided to suck it up and do it. Once she finished, she pulled her leggings back up and set the stick on the counter. The timer on her phone beeped. She picked up the stick and held it up to her face.

"...Oh, God…"

Blossom's phone rang once, then twice, before she sleepily rolled over in bed and picked it up. She glanced at the clock which read 7:30. She huffed and tapped the green icon. Vincent snored rather loudly next to her. Blossom made sure to keep her voice low.

"Hello," she answered, her voice deep and groggy.

"Come over," Buttercup commanded frantically. Blossom scrunched up her eyebrows.

"Why are you demanding that I come over at seven in the goddamn morning? Why are you even up? You love to sleep in when you don't have work."

"Come over, Bloss! I need you! Please come over!" Blossom knew that Buttercup wasn't the panicking type. She was always cool and calm when things got sticky, especially during monster or crime fighting. But, this time, Buttercup actually sounded like she was in distress.

"Alright, I'll be over in five." Buttercup sighed in relief.

"Okay, thanks." Blossom reassured her that it was no problem before quickly washing up before dressing herself in a pair of joggers and a pink t-shirt. She grabbed her jacket and quietly exited the room. She trotted down the stairs and grabbed the pile of sticky notes from the top of the fridge. She wrote a short note for Vincent and stuck it on the fridge. She grabbed her keys and ran out the door. She locked the door behind her and took off into the sky with a bubblegum pink streak behind her.

Buttercup paced back and forth in her living room, biting her thumb. A sharp whine came from her couch.

"Can it, Psylocke! I know you wanna go for a walk, just give me a minute, okay?" The sleek, black German Shepherd whined again and set down the electric green leash. Buttercup sighed and kneeled down to pet the dog on her head. "Well, you might get a new baby brother or sister soon, so chin up, girl." Suddenly, a loud knock came from her door. Buttercup kissed the dog on her head before moving to the entrance way to open the door. She unlocked it and opened it up for her sister.

"Are you okay, BC? You sounded upset on the phone." Blossom stepped inside and removed her sweater. She grabbed a hanger from the closet and placed her sweater on it. Buttercup sighed.

"I'm okay… well, not really. I have to show you something." Blossom kicked off her shoes and placed her hands on her hips.

"What's wrong?" Buttercup huffed and grabbed her sister's hand. She pulled Blossom down the apartment hallway and into her room. She let go of Blossom's hand and went into the bathroom. She grabbed the stick and hid it behind her back before walking up to Blossom once more. Her eyes pricked with the inflow of tears threatening to spill over. Blossom frowned with concern. Buttercup never cried. "Hey, what is it? Are you okay?" Buttercup sniffed before holding out the stick to Blossom. Blossom took it and gasped once she noticed what it was. "Oh… Oh, Buttercup…" The raven head couldn't help but let her tears spill over. Blossom set down the stick and pulled her sister into her arms. Buttercup sniffed as she buried her face into Blossom's shoulder.

"This is such bullshit, Blossom! I can't believe this! I'm not ready to be a mother! I'm not even sure if I ever _**will**_ be!" Blossom shushed her as she stroked her short hair.

"You do know you have the option to get an abortion. I won't look at you any differently. It's your choice. No one is forcing you to have this baby. If you're not ready, then you're not ready." Buttercup huffed as she pulled away.

"I know. I don't know what to do. I'll think about it, though." Blossom smoothed Buttercup's hair.

"It's Butch's, isn't it?"

"Of _**course**_ it's Butch's! The hell do you think I am? I'm not some _**harlot**_ who goes out and sleeps with random guys while I'm in a fucking relationship!" Blossom lifted up her hands.

"Alright, alright, just wanted to make sure. Did you two have unprotected sex at all?"

"Well, I mean, I am on the pill…"

"So you didn't use a condom?" Buttercup's face turned beet red.

"...No." Blossom rolled her eyes.

"Well, did you take it at the same time every day?" Buttercup lowered her head, trying to make her bangs cover her guilty face.

"...No."

"Buttercup! You wonder why you're pregnant, and you say you didn't wear a condom _**or**_ take your pills when you should? You should know better than that!"

"Yeah, I know. But, he was just being so gentle, so romantic, so sensual-" Blossom lifted up her hand.

"Sweet Jesus, I don't need the details!"

"Sorry. But I was just so caught up in the moment. We bother were. I wasn't thinking." Buttercup slumped down to sit on her bed. Blossom sat next to her.

"Does "Daddy Dearest" know that he's a father yet?" The green Powerpuff rubbed her forehead.

"No. You're the first person I've told. Bubbles doesn't even know yet. I should tell her soon." Blossom sighed. Sometimes she wished her sister was smarter than this. It would make life a whole lot easier for her.

"You're going to have to tell him eventually, Buttercup. If you do decide to keep it, you are going to start putting on weight, and he's going to notice."

"Yeah, I know. I just don't want to tell him yet. I don't even know if I want to keep it or not. I just need some time to think this all through. Just… don't tell anyone, okay? Not Bubbles, not dad, no one can know just yet. Promise me you'll keep this to yourself." Blossom was torn. She knew it was the right thing to do to tell the others, but she also knew that it was right to keep this promise to her sister. It was what sisters did. She sighed, ready to hold onto this very life-changing information.

"Alright, fine. I promise to you that I won't tell anyone. Not Bubbles, not dad, no one." Buttercup sighed in relief and grabbed Blossom's hand.

"Thanks, Bloss. I really appreciate it, really." Blossom gave a slight smile. She knew that keeping this from the rest of the group will potentially create problems, but Buttercup had enough to deal with at the moment.

"You're welcome. Just… give yourself time to think about your options, okay? Can you promise me that?" Buttercup nodded.

"Sure thing, Bloss. I definitely will."

* * *

"BUT I KEEP CRUUUISIN', CAN'T STOP, WON'T STOP GROOOVIN'! IT'S LIKE I'VE GOT THIS MUUUSIIIIIC IN MY MIND, SAYIN' IT'S GONNA BE ALRIGHT!" Bubbles sung at the top of her lungs as the steaming water fell from the showerhead. The speakers from her phone blared loudly, echoing throughout the bathroom. Suddenly, her phone rang sharply. Bubbles quieted herself and opened the shower door. She paused the music and held it up to her ear.

"Hey, Bubs." Boomer's voice tiredly sounded from the other end.

"Hey, Boomer. You sound pretty tired. What's up?" Boomer sighed deeply. Bubbles could hear his brothers speaking loudly in the background.

"Brick is going off the deep end. This whole thing with Vince and Blossom is really getting to him. I don't know if I can take it anymore! Every day, every single day, Vincent this, Vincent that, fuck Vincent, fuck 'em! That's all I goddamn hear, and it's messing with my head!" Bubbles giggled slightly. Hearing Boomer sound like a damsel in distress was quite amusing. "Butch is here trying to calm him down, but I don't think he's helping. He's actually making it worse. Please do something!"

"Unless you want me to come to your house wet and naked, I don't think I can help you right now, Boomer." Boomer whined like a child.

"Wait, did you say wet and naked?" Bubbles rolled her eyes.

"Off topic." Boomer chuckled.

"We really need to get these two fiery redheads together so they can talk about their problems instead of venting almost every day to the rest of us."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that. Blossom has been giving me quite the headache lately."

"Well, I've been thinking-" A sharp static sound blared from the phone. Bubbles scrunched up her face and looked at the screen. She held it back to her ear.

"Boomer? Hello?"

"-Of course, that might be a bad idea since-" Static. Bubbles pulled the phone away once more. She clicked on an icon and put Boomer on speaker.

"Boomer? Are you…"

"Hello, Bubbles." Bubbles backed away slightly from the counter.

"B-Boomer?"

"Not even close." She knew that voice. Where did she know that voice? It was thick and deep behind the background static.

"Who are you? What is this?"

"It's been so long. How've you been? I'm sure you miss me dearly," the deep voice drawled eerily. Bubbles could feel her heart thump harshly in her chest. She knew that voice! Why was it so hard to place it?

"I know you…" The deep voice chuckled darkly.

"Of course you do. Don't you remember? You threw me across your living room into a wall our junior year of high school." Her eyes widened.

"... _Jessie_ …" Bubbles could hear the grin on his face.

"You seem to have grown out of your dumb blonde stage, Bubbles, good for you!" Bubbles glared at her phone.

"I thought you went missing. Boomer told all of us that no one could find you. Where are you?" Jessie chuckled.

"Some try to hide, some try to cheat. Others play chess and others weep-

Regardless though of your trip, whether you are weeping or you cheat,

time will show we'll always meet, and then you' d know who to greet..."

"What does that mean?" The static grew louder and louder. The piercing screech from her phone caused the blonde to cover her ears tightly. Then silence. The sound completely cut out. All the sound that was left was the stream of water coming from the shower.

"-I think I should go now since Brick currently has poor Butch in a headlock, choking him out. So, I'll talk to you later. Think about my plan, okay?" Bubbles stared at the phone. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even think clearly. Every single question regarding Jessie flew through her mind a mile a minute. "Bubbles? You still there?" The Powerpuff blinked coming to her senses once more.

"Uh, yeah, I'll… I'll think about your plan." Boomer could hear something off in her voice.

"You okay?" he asked, frowning in worry.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'll let you go break up whatever Brick is doing to Butch. I'll see you later, okay?" Boomer wasn't convinced. He'd question her another time.

"Alright, bye." Bubbles was alone once more.

Jessie was back. Or at least, Bubbles thought he was. He was alive. Alive and somewhere out in the world, relishing in not being found. His voice held so much malice towards her. Wherever he was, he would cause as much trouble as he could without even showing his face. Bubbles swallowed sharply. She needed to tell someone. If she didn't, who knew what would happen?

The blonde put back on her music and stepped into the warm shower, suddenly realizing how cold she was. Another upbeat song played cheerfully through the speakers. Bubbles, however, didn't feel like singing anymore.

* * *

 **Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter for Time, I hope you all liked it!**

 **SHOUT OUT TO MY BETA, STRANIQUEGIRL0684!**

 **She has been the best Beta I could've asked for. She has helped me with most if not all of my dialogue and even my other story on Fictionpress. She gives great ideas and if any of you need help, hit her up!**

 **Anyway, Overworld will be continuing! I just have to find a good time to write on it again. School is very busy so be patient with me. So, watch out for that.**

 **That's about it! Hope you all like!**

 **Bye Guys!**

 _ **~TheRedWolf**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Time**

 **Part 1: Long Enough**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

* * *

Blossom stared at her bare face in the reflection of her bathroom mirror. She grabbed the black liquid eyeliner and uncapped the top before leaning in close to her reflection. Once each eye had a solid black wing in each corner, Blossom grabbed her mascara and applied some to her lashes. Finally, the pink Powerpuff glossed her lips with some sweet-smelling strawberry lip gloss. She messed with her bangs before pulling at her high ponytail. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been this nervous.

Blossom sighed before glancing down at her tight fitting black jeans and red long-sleeved shirt. She hoped the v-neck was appropriate for her meeting with Brick.

 _Meeting with Brick._

The words bounced in her head, unable to settle, due to the fact that she still couldn't believe this was about to happen. It was the first time in years that they would be sitting down just to talk. She couldn't even remember when the last time they talked was! Damn Bubbles for talking her into meeting him. She didn't even know if she was ready. What would they even talk about? Where would they start? How comfortable would they still be with each other after years apart? Blossom tried not to worry herself much for the past few hours, but the questions kept creeping up on her.

Vincent leaned up onto the door frame and smirked, taking his girlfriend's appearance in. She turned towards him as she pulled on her shirt and twisted around for him.

"I don't look too showy, do I?" she asked, concern laced in her voice. Vincent chuckled.

"You have on a long-sleeved shirt and jeans, babe. I don't think those qualify as 'showy' clothing." Blossom groaned with a pout as she glanced back at herself in the mirror.

"Are you sure?" Vincent chuckled once more before walking into the bathroom. He gently grabbed Blossom's shoulders and turned her towards him.

"Babe, you look fine. Don't worry about it. Plus, I don't think Brick will really care about how you look. I mean, you're just going to talk, right? I'm sure if that's the case, what should it matter?" Blossom wrapped her arms around his neck. She sighed and laid her head down on his shoulder. Vincent snuggled her closer and brought his arms up around her waist.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just a talk. Looks don't matter if you're talking." Vincent smiled.

"That's right, babe." Vincent let go of his girlfriend as she moved from the bathroom towards the hallway. "Did you need me to drive you?" Blossom shook her head and trotted down the carpeted stairs.

"No, I'll be fine driving myself." She picked up her keys off of the kitchen table and headed for the door. She slipped on her jacket and slipped her feet into a pair of black Hunter boots. "I should be back in a few hours. Don't wait up for me." Vincent nodded.

"Did you want me to make dinner tonight?"

"Oh, would you? That'd be great." Vincent smiled.

"What shall I prepare, m'lady?" Blossom covered her lips from a giggle with her fingers. She shrugged.

"Surprise me." Blossom pecked her boyfriend on the cheek before opening the door. She closed it behind her and rounded the building to the garage in the back. She plopped down in the driver's seat and started the engine. She backed out of the driveway and off she went down the suburban road towards the inner city.

* * *

Brick entered the quaint building with his hands in his black jacket. Boomer said that the Lunar Café was the best in town, and that it would be the perfect setting to talk about life with Blossom. Brick glanced around the inside and smiled. It was very homey and warm. The perfect place.

He walked to the grand fireplace and sat himself down on a table right next to the window. He took off his jacket and set it on the back of his chair before sitting down and pulling out his phone. Blossom should be arriving any minute.

After about five minutes of waiting and playing a very stressful game of Cookie Jam, Brick glanced out the window and saw Blossom's car park up next to the café. The redheaded woman stepped out of her car and entered the café after locking it. She glanced around before she spotted Brick sitting between the window and the grand fireplace. Brick stood up as she walked to the table with a smile.

"Hello, Brick," Blossom greeted. Brick gave a lopsided smile.

"Good evening, Blossom. Did you get here okay?" Blossom was taken aback. She wasn't expecting him to ask. It was very gentlemanly of him.

"I got here alright." Brick nodded before motioning to her chair. They both sat down and got comfortable. Blossom unsnapped her jacket and hung it behind her on her chair.

"So, it's been a long time, Red." Blossom's heart leapt. She missed, and even almost forgot, how he called her Red. It brought a wave of nostalgia upon her.

"Yeah, it's been **too** long, actually. Well, you did write to me most of the time while you were away, but why did you suddenly stop? I missed your letters." Brick leaned forward folding his arms over one another.

"You're not the only one I stopped writing, you know. My brothers, Mojo, and Rachel all stopped receiving letters at about the same time. I just got too busy. Military work is hard work, and you need to put your all into it. I'm sorry I didn't give you an explanation on why. One letter would've been enough to explain." Blossom shook her head.

"No, no, I understand! It's okay, I just was worried about you." Brick smiled. "You… you look good, Brick. Well, you look a lot… bigger… than what I remember." Brick chuckled deeply.

"That's what training'll do to you. Even took Antidote X to really work on my strength and endurance. Got to work on my powers, too. They've gotten stronger over these past few years."

"It definitely paid off," Blossom commented. Brick smirked and licked his lips.

"Checking me out, Red? I thought you were a taken woman?" Blossom could feel her cheeks heat up.

"I am! That doesn't mean that I can't appreciate a man's hardworking attitude." Brick didn't seem convinced. He could see it in her face that she was taking peeks at him all while he was back.

"Uh huh, sure you're just appreciating me, Red. What if I told you I was appreciating how _you_ look?" His smirk deepened once he saw the flash of red that spread across Blossoms cheeks.

"Then… I would say, why? I don't look any different than when I did in high school." Brick scoffed.

"Are you kidding me? You definitely filled out more. You aren't a little twig anymore," he joked. Blossom gasped playfully with a grin.

"Hey! I was never a twig." Brick chuckled. He leaned back in his chair and smiled down at her. Blossom couldn't take her eyes away from those ruby eyes. They always captivated her. She wished he had stayed: stayed in Townsville and stayed with her. She never even got to tell him how she really felt. Not once.

"Did you want some coffee or something?" Brick asked, pulling out his black leather wallet. Blossom snapped out of her thoughts and sent him a small smile.

"Hot chocolate, please. Make sure there's extra whipped cream on top. Oh, and a sugar cookie!" Brick chuckled.

"Be right back." He walked over to the counter to get in line. Blossom pulled out her phone and opened the messaging app. She tapped Bubbles' number and sent a quick text.

' _Things are going well. He's being the perfect gentlemen. I think we're going to be here for a while. Remind me to reward you after this is over.'_ Bubbles' message came back in a matter of seconds.

' _Glad it's going well, Bloss! And yes, I would like a reward for doing what you should've planned when he got here. Now, don't let me distract you. Go have fun!'_

Blossom smiled and placed her phone back in her pocket. Brick walked over and set the wide striped mug in front of Blossom before setting the plate with two sugar cookies on it. The cookies were topped with pink icing and red and white sprinkles. He set his wide mug and his large chocolate chip muffin down before sitting in his chair.

"So, how about you tell me about college." Blossom bit into one of the cookies before quickly swallowing. She wiped her mouth on a napkin and sighed.

"Where do I even start?"

* * *

Boomer stood up from his couch and walked towards the sound of his doorbell. He opened it up and smiled as he saw Butch standing at the door with a large pizza box in one hand and a six pack of beer in the other.

"I hope you didn't eat yet, Baby Blue." Boomer opened the door wide and ushered his brother inside. He took the box and beer from Butch and went to the living room to set them down. Butch kicked off his shoes and hung up his jacket, leaving the dark green beanie on his head. Butch entered the living room and jumped harshly, gripping his chest.

"Butch, you know she's here. Why do you always get scared when you see her?" Butch looked at the large mass of white fur that sat in the corner of the room.

"Because she's freakishly huge! Why on earth did you think giving her Chemical X was a good fucking idea?" Boomer placed his hands on his hips.

"Thanks to me, Sasha has been a regular super dog! She's helped us with plenty of monsters in the past." Butch plopped down on the couch and opened the pizza box.

"Sure, but seriously, she's huge, and it freaks me out sometimes."

Boomer wasn't going to deny it. Sasha did grow to an incredible size over the years. Standing, she was about a half foot away from Boomer's head. He, with the help of Rachel, measured the dog and found that she stood at exactly at five foot, nine inches tall. Bubbles stood face to face with her. Not only was she incredibly large, but she also developed superpowers. She had laser beam eyes and the speed of a cheetah on serious steroids. She even had her very own white color streak that trailed behind her as she ran. Her super strength was a force to be reckoned with as well as an earth-shattering super bark. What Boomer was most grateful for was Sasha's heightened intelligence. He could tell her to go get the mail, and she would with no problem. She was really something special.

Boomer shrugged and went into the kitchen. He opened a cabinet and pulled down two small plates and grabbed a few napkins from the holder on the counter. He closed the cabin before going back into the living room. He sat down next to his brother and handed a plate to Butch.

"Hey, Sasha," he called to his dog. Sasha's ears perked at her name. She tilted her head and set her blue eyes on Boomer. The blue Rowdyruff tore a pizza slice in half and held it up. Sasha tail began to rapidly pound the carpeted floor. "Come here, girl." Sasha whined and stood up at her full height. She walked gracefully to Boomer's side and stared at the pizza half. Boomer held it up to her to let her sniff. Her nose twitched and sniffed the steaming slice. She then grabbed the piece and placed it down on the table to proceed to eat it bite by bite.

"She eats like such a lady." Butch commented eyeing the dog as she poshly tore off small bites, chewing them fully, before tearing off another. Boomer smiled.

"Yeah, she picked up on how Bubbles ate when she was, you know, coming over for a date." Boomer poked at his pizza, his smile falling from his face. Butch nudged Boomer with his shoulder.

"Aw, don't worry too much about it, baby bro. I'm sure you'll find another chick to fuck with." Boomer frowned.

"She wasn't just some chick, Butch. She was special. She was different from everyone else. And what did I do? I fucked it up. I lost her." Butch swallowed.

"Because of Jessie," Boomer nodded.

"Because of Jessie. But I don't even blame him. _I_ was the one who tempted _him_ to do what we did. It wasn't right. I regret it every single day." Butch sighed. Boomer had been beating himself up over what happened ever since Jessie went missing. Boomer was never really the same after that. Then Bubbles up and dumped him because of what Boomer and Jessie did together, and that broke him even more. Butch didn't know what to say when he bumped into his teary eyed brother in the middle of their home.

"After we got rid of HIM, it just all fell apart. I guess I should've known. It got pretty rocky over the summer. Then, just one day, she takes me out to talk, and, boom, I'm dumped. I should've seen it coming. Even Sasha misses her." The large, fluffy dog glanced up at Boomer and whined, her ears flattening on her head. Boomer patted her head. "Yeah, I miss her too, Sash." Butch could see the pain etched onto Boomer, and even Sasha's face. He set down his pizza slice with a sigh.

"Boomer, just… try to let it go. Ya know, if things end up working out for you and Bubbles, then that's great. But if they don't, don't let it eat you up, okay?" Boomer gazed up at his older brother. He nodded and smiled.

"Yeah… I know that I should, but it's still pretty hard for me. But what am I gonna do about it? Thanks, Butch. I appreciate you trying." The green Rowdyruff snorted, biting down into his pizza once more.

"Whatever. I just don't want you crying all on me." Boomer chuckled. Even though it was hard for Butch to comfort someone, he did a damn good job at it.

* * *

"I assure you, it was the most embarrassing part of the night!" Blossom giggled, blushing profusely. Brick balled up his fist in front of his mouth to muffle his hard chuckles. Blossom was currently informing her counterpart about her first college party with Vincent. Too bad for her, the whole night ended with her hot, sweaty, and covered from head to toe in booze from her fall into a large, sticky puddle.

"That must have been some night, Red," Brick commented after quieting his chuckles.

"Yeah, it was pretty interesting." Brick pushed his empty plate and mug away.

"Bloss, you know I would love to keep this up with you, and I think we could, but I think we should head out." Blossom's smile slightly dropped. She knew it was pretty late,(she saw the red numbers of 9:34 flashing on his watch) but she didn't care. She wanted to keep Brick with her for as long as she could.

"Oh… alright." Brick smiled.

"Don't look so disappointed, Red. We'll get together in the future. I'm sure your hubby is missing you, anyway." Blossom nodded.

"Yeah, yeah, I should be getting home." Blossom stood up from her chair along with Brick.

Brick quickly put on his jacket before moving towards Blossom. He grabbed her jacket before she could and opened it for her. Blossom looked from him to the jacket and back again before giving a small smile. She slipped her arms in and Brick hoisted the jacket over Blossom's shoulders. Blossom turned back to him as she zipped up her jacket. Brick smiled and held out his elbow to her. Blossom took it and the two walked out into the freezing outside.

"I had fun, Brick. Really, I'm glad we did this." The two walked down the street to Blossom's car. Brick smiled.

"It's about time, that's for sure." The two stopped right at Blossom's car. The pink Powerpuff unhooked her arm from Brick's and pulled out her keys.

"Well… I'll call you later, I guess." Brick nodded.

"You better," he joked. Blossom giggled. Brick smiled and pulled Blossom into his arms for a tight bear hug. Blossom couldn't help but get a whiff of Brick's musky cologne.

Brick pulled away before stepping back to let Blossom get into her car. Blossom sat down in the driver's seat and started the engine. She clicked on the heat and strapped herself in. Finally, she gave Brick one final wave before pulling away and driving off down the road.

Brick sighed. Having a night with his favorite girl was the total opposite of how he envisioned it would go. For some reason, he thought he would say something to offend her and have her storming out of the café in a matter of moments. But the red Rowdyruff was pleasantly proven wrong as the conversation fluidly jumped from one topic to the next. It had been a long time since he had any good conversation with anyone.

Brick turned back towards his car and pulled out his keys. He jumped in and clicked on the engine along with the heat and radio. Brick pulled away from the sidewalk and sped down the brightly lit streets back to Boomer's home.

Once he arrived, Brick parked his car in the driveway and entered the house. Sasha trotted up to him happily once Brick closed and locked the door.

"Hey, girl," he greeted her with a pat on her head. "Where's Boomer?" Sasha pointed with her snout towards the living room. Brick thanked her before pushing off his shoes and jacket. He walked down to the living room and peeked in.

"Oh hey, bro!" Butch greeted happily. "How was the date with Blossy?" Brick rolled his eyes.

"Butch, how many times do I have to tell you? It. Was. Not. A. Date! We only met up as perfectly friendly adults. Nothing more!" Brick sighed and plopped down on a soft chair. Butch scoffed.

"Whatever you say, brother."

* * *

As the next few weeks passed, it was Buttercup's turn to invite everyone over for Thanksgiving dinner. During all of the cooking and planning with Blossom, she came to the solid decision that she would keep her baby. When Buttercup told her, Blossom was more scared than happy for her. Maybe it was just because Buttercup was her little sister. Or because she was scared about what Butch would say. Blossom would kill him with her own bare hands if he decided he was going to pussy out and walk away from her sister and unborn niece or nephew.

After the holiday, Buttercup slowly divulged the information to Bubbles and her father at the same time. Bubbles being, well, _Bubbles_ , was naturally excited that she would be an aunt in nine months. Professor let his worried father side get the better of him and insisted that Buttercup come down to the Lab so that he could do a full check up on her. Buttercup reluctantly agreed and let her father have his way. It was easier.

One cold, snowy morning in the beginning of December, Buttercup woke up to the nasty pang in her stomach. She quickly put a hand to her mouth and rushed to the bathroom. She wretched and emptied the rancid contents of her stomach into the toilet. Grimacing, Buttercup wiped her mouth with tissue before flushing. She sighed and proceeded to wash out her mouth.

"Man, I can't wait until this stupid morning sickness goes the fuck away!" Buttercup exited the bathroom and trotted down the hallway to the kitchen. Her beautiful black German Shepherd followed right on her heels.

"Hey, Psylocke," Buttercup leaned down and patted the dog on her head. "Want some food, girl?" The dog yipped softly. Buttercup pulled out the dog food from the cabinet and poured the food into the dog's dark green bowl.

Buttercup grabbed all of the ingredients she would need for her breakfast and began cooking away over the stove. The kitchen smelled like the scrambled eggs and bacon she made, to Psylocke's delight. Buttercup glanced down at the drooling dog and snickered. She reached into the sizzling hot pan and picked up one of the four strip of bacon inside. She blew on it to cool it off before chucking it into the air right above Psylocke. The German Shepherd jumped up slightly and quickly caught the bacon in her canines. Buttercup giggled and continued cooking.

Once Buttercup finished eating, her phone on the tabletop buzzed along with the loud ring tone. Buttercup downed the rest of her milk before glancing at the screen. Butch's face flashed brightly. Buttercup's heart jumped. She realized that she was going to have to tell her lover sooner or later, and she'd rather do it sooner. She tapped the green icon and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hey, Butch. What's up?" Buttercup greeted, trying to keep her cool.

"Sup, Kitten. Mind if I come over for a bit?" Buttercup snickered.

"You know, if you wanna just have sex, all you have to do is come out and say it." Buttercup giggled. Butch scoffed playfully.

"Well, what if I just want to hang out? I _do_ love more of you than just your sweet little sugar cookie." Buttercup scrunched up her face.

"Ew, could you be any sicker? Do you have to call it that, Butch?" The Rowdyruff chuckled.

"No, but since you think it sounds gross, I'll just stick to calling it that." Buttercup rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. Anyway, yeah, come over," she sighed, thinking of her next words carefully. "I, uh, I need to talk to you…when you get here, that is."

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there in ten." Buttercup agreed and said her goodbyes. She set down the phone and clutched her forehead with her hand. How was she going to break the news to him? What if she screws up? What if Blossom's suspicions came true, and he ended up just leaving her? Buttercup groaned before getting up. She had ten minutes to choose her words very carefully.

Butch rang Buttercup's apartment doorbell and waited patiently for her to answer. Suddenly, the door swung open and revealed a very flushed Buttercup.

"Hey, Butch! Come on in." She moved back to let him cross into her apartment before closing the door behind him. Butch removed his coat and boots. Buttercup leaned up on her toes and pecked him on the lips. Butch adjusted his green sweater and followed his woman into her living room. The two plopped down on the couch.

"So what's up, Buttercup? You said you wanted to talk to me on the phone." Buttercup could feel herself become tense.

"Uh, w-well, uh… I, I need to… to tell you something pretty important." Butch turned to her giving her his full attention.

"What is it?" Buttercup licked her lips, trying to make them not so dry. How was she going to come out and say it? She wished she had more time to prepare.

 _No. No, Buttercup, this is not you! You need to tell him. He deserves to know that he is going to be a soon-to-be daddy!_

"I'm pregnant." Butch scoffed.

"Uh, yeah right, Buttercup. Good one!" He grabbed the remote from the coffee table and clicked on the current football game. Buttercup frowned.

"Butch, I'm _**pregnant**_. In nine months, you're going to be a father." Butch's slight smile dropped instantly from his lips. His grip on the remote increased and caused the poor device to be crushed in his large hand. Buttercup gulped and assumed the worst. He struggled to make eye contact with her, but, when he finally did, his face held only horror.

"You're… what?" Buttercup sighed.

"I'm pregnant, Butch." Butch nodded.

"Right… I think I should get home now. It's getting pretty late." He set down the crushed remote control and quickly stood up. He rushed to the front door and slipped his boots on. Buttercup followed.

"What? But it's only four!" Butch tied up his boots before grabbing his coat.

"Yeah, well… don't wanna be late making dinner. I just remembered that Brick and Boomer were coming over."

"But-"

"I'll see you later, then." Butch swung open the front door and trucked it down the hallway. Rather than waiting for the elevator, he quickly took to the stairs.

Buttercup slammed the door and rushed to the living room window. She watched as Butch rushed to his truck and got inside. It was only a matter of seconds before she saw the truck pull off down the road.

She couldn't believe it! Blossom was right, as usual. He ran from her. Buttercup clutched her tummy. He ran from her and their baby. Buttercup gasped, clutching the window sill. Her face scrunched up harshly as tears welled up in her bright lime eyes. Her violent wails sounded before the tears from her eyes spilled over. She slid to the floor and curled up right below the window. Buttercup held herself as she let the large tears coat her flushed cheeks.

Psylocke whined and padded up to her owner. She sat down in front of Buttercup and licked her knee comfortingly. Buttercup sniffed and laid a hand over Psylocke's head. The two sat in the shadows under the window. All that could be heard were the wailing from Buttercup and the distant cheers from the patrons at the football game on the television.

* * *

"Well, it sounds like you had a great time, ya whore." Boomer chuckled at Brick's accusations as he showed the redhead the small slips of paper with various phone numbers on them. All of them were the numbers from both female and male suitors. Ever since Boomer came out as bisexual, Brick and Butch had been quite jealous on how easy it was for Boomer to "play the field" in the world of dating.

"You should've come with me. It would've been fun." Brick scoffed.

"Right, cause watching my brother getting hot and heavy with five other people is oh so fun." He rolled his eyes and glued them back on the movie they were watching. Boomer chuckled.

"It would've been fun, Brick. It's been awhile since we hit up a club together. Plus, it could've taken your mind off of Blossom." Brick whipped his head towards Boomer.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you know that she _is_ currently in a relationship. No matter how you look at it, they are pretty much together. You can't keep wanting to go out with a girl who's in a relationship. I mean, you can, and you could even try to get with her, but how well is that going to turn out? It's only going to end in disaster." Brick frowned even though he knew Boomer was right.

"Hmph, whatever." Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Boomer frowned as he noticed that, whoever it was, wasn't giving that bell a break.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming! Holy shit!" Boomer quickly opened the door and jumped slightly as he saw Butch at the door with a creepy, wide smile on his face. The doorbell didn't stop ringing either.

"Who is it?" Brick asked from the living room.

"It's Butch, but I think he's broken." Boomer waved a hand in front of Butch's face but got no reaction. Brick shuffled from the living room and gave Butch a weird look.

"The hell's wrong with you?" No answer. "Hel-lo, Butch! Is anyone upstairs?" Butch snickered slightly before he began laughing through his clenched teeth. Brick and Boomer glanced at each other before looking back to their laughing brother.

"Uh, what do we do?" Boomer asked quietly. Before Brick could answer Butch swayed back and forth before his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He swung forward, falling to the floor in between his brothers.

"Well… that happened." Brick rolled his eyes at Boomer and leaned down.

"Just help me get him up, dumbass." Brick placed one of Butch's arms over his shoulder, and Boomer did the same with his other.

The two dragged their brother's big body to the living room and plopped him down on the couch. Brick picked up Butch's long legs and shoved them on the couch while Boomer went and closed the front door. He glanced down at the large rug in front of the door and saw the small mounds of snow Butch dragged in. He sighed knowing that he was going to have to find time to clean the damn thing.

 _Fuck you, Butch!_

Brick poked Butch's cheek and smirked.

"You know this is the first time I've seen him knocked out like this." Boomer returned to the living room with a glass of water.

"No it's not." Brick frowned.

"Yeah it is." Boomer huffed.

" _No_ , it's not. Remember when we went to fight HIM in the Underworld? Butch almost lost his soul." Brick nodded.

"Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Seems like a lifetime ago." Boomer sat down on the coffee table.

"It kind of was. Then you left." Brick glanced up at Boomer.

"Boomer, are you really going to start this again? I've said sorry too many times before I even was transferred away! You can't keep blaming me for something I couldn't control." Boomer snickered bitterly.

"It's not even that! You stopped contacting us, Brick! You know how worried we all were? Of course, you apologized to Blossom because you only think with your dick! Just because you wanna _fuck_ her doesn't mean that your family is any less important!" Brick was taken aback. Boomer never yelled at him like that.

"Now hold on-"

"Shut the fuck up! God, both of you are fucking dicks, how about that? Yelling in my ear and shit… fuck you both." Butch clutched his forehead.

"Butch! Are you okay, man?" Brick helped Butch sit up before sitting himself down next to him.

"My head's about to implode in on itself, but other than that, I'm fine." Boomer held up a green pill and the glass of water to Butch. "What's that?"

"It's a pill that Professor made for when we get head or stomachaches. Super people need super solutions, I guess." Butch grabbed both and popped the pill into his mouth. He downed it with the water.

"So, you wanna tell us why you came here just to have a fainting spell?" Brick questioned.

"Yeah, what gives? I have several mounds of melting snow at my door that I'm going to need to clean up. If my rug gets ruined because of that, you owe me a new rug, dammit." Butch scoffed.

"I don't give one once of a _**fuck**_ about your ugly ass rug, bitch." Boomer's face began to turn red.

" _ **Bitch**_? What the fuck? Fuck-"

"SHUT UP! HOLY CRAP!" Brick glowered at both of them before turning back to Butch. "Now, do you mind telling us what's got you so worked up?"

"Fine. Well, I just kind of found out that… do you guys know any good places to buy a crib?"

"Uh, for what?" Boomer asked. Brick huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Boomer looked to Brick and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Brick? Should I get you a pill, too?"

"No, you idiot," he glanced up at his blonde brother. "Butch here is about to have a little 'Mini Me' soon."

"Oh, okay." Boomer grabbed his soda sitting next to him and took a swig. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he spit the fizzy drink out on the table next to him. He made sure not to spray his brothers. "BUTTERCUP'S PREGNANT?" Butch snickered.

"Hey Brick, I think our brother's a genius." Brick gave him a deadpan look before slapping Butch upside the head. Hard. "Ow, what the hell, man?"

"Me? I should be saying what the hell to you, asshole! What were you thinking, getting Buttercup pregnant? You really are dumber than you look." Butch scoffed.

"Look, it wasn't entirely my fault, okay? Pregnancy takes two. This is just as much her fault as it is mine." Brick stood up from the couch and placed his hands on his hips.

"What happened? 'Cause if you persuaded her to not make you use some sort of protection then this is entirely your fucking fault." Butch rubbed the back of his neck.

"You know, you're way too smart to even question anything, brother." Brick's face turned red. He was fuming! How could Butch be so stupid? Boomer noticed that his fiery brother was about to explode.

"Brick, calm down. We're all adults here. We can talk this out."

"You," Brick pointed towards Boomer. "Shut the fuck up." His voice was eerily calm. Boomer knew what was to happen. Brick turned towards Butch. "And you, get the fuck up." Butch sighed and stood from the couch, placing his hands in his pockets.

"What? You gonna hit me?" Brick chuckled darkly and pointed towards the door that led to the backyard.

"Go." Butch glanced down at his sock covered feet.

"You really want me to go out with no boots on? I knew you could be cruel, Brick, but damn. I love my feet too much to get hypothermia." Brick clutched the bridge of his nose. He heard Butch's rambling in the background as his heart threatened to beat out if his chest. He felt the heat rise, ready to explode.

"Butch, _shut up_. You're going to make him mad!" Butch laughed out loud.

"You think I give a fuck? He's just like that to intimidate me. But guess what? We're not kids anymore! That shit doesn't work on me now. If he wants to say something, then he's welcome t-" Brick's large hand clenched itself around Butch's throat tightly. He brought his face close to Butch's. So close that their noses were almost touching.

"Shut the fuck up and get outside, motherfucker. If you don't want to own up to any responsibility, just be prepared for a few broken bones. Now get. The fuck. _Outside_." Brick let go of Butch's throat and shoved him towards the backyard door.

Boomer sighed and crossed his arms once the two disappeared through the door. He heard Brick slam it closed behind him before a wave of flesh rupturing punches sounded from outside. Boomer rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ugh, those two are never going to give it a rest."

* * *

"You okay now?" Bubbles handed her raven haired sister a steaming mug of hot chocolate. She made sure to put extra whipped cream on top. The blonde sat next to Buttercup who was sitting on the couch in Bubbles' home. Buttercup grabbed the mug.

"Thanks." Bubbles plopped back down on the couch and sighed.

"So, that's all he said? That he needed to get home?" Buttercup nodded.

"Yeah, that's all he said. He said that he needed to make dinner for his brothers. Of course, according to Blossom, that wasn't true since Brick told her his plans for the night. So, not only did Butch run, but he also lied to me. I should've known. And just when I've decided to keep the damn kid…" Bubbles placed her hand on Buttercup's knee.

"It's his loss. If he can't step up and be a father to your kid, then he never deserved it." Buttercup sighed and shook her head.

"No, I don't believe he would just walk away like this. I have more faith in him. He's probably just scared. I am too. I just have to wait." Bubbles huffed.

"You can't wait forever, B.C."

"Yeah, I know. Do you mind if I stay here for tonight? I don't think I can head back home just yet." Bubbles smiled brightly.

"Of course you can! It's been so long since we've had a sleepover. I'll go get you some blankets! We can rent a movie too if you want. Oh, I can make popcorn! I hope you like lots of butter!" Bubbles excitedly bounced out of the living room with a grin. Buttercup smiled slightly and picked up the hot chocolate. She took a sip and set the mug back down.

Buttercup was grateful that Bubbles didn't question much. That was more Blossom's thing. Buttercup settled back into the couch. For once in her life, she was happy that Bubbles was her normal, cheery self.

* * *

Buttercup found herself waiting for the next two weeks. With each passing day and with each knock on her door or pull up of a truck, she would rush to see if it was her boyfriend. But each time she was disappointed, and it furthered her doubt that he would show up at all.

However, on one chilly afternoon, her prayers were somehow answered. Just when her faith in Butch was slipping away, the green Rowdyruff found himself at her door.

Butch sighed and straightened his jacket and black beanie on top of his head. He lifted his hand and rang the doorbell.

"Kitten? You home?" Butch said through the door. He spoke in a level voice knowing Buttercup would hear him. Super hearing had its benefits.

Buttercup turned down the radio to make sure she heard his voice.

"Butch?" she asked. She spoke as if he was right in front of her. His voice reached her highly sensitive ears once more.

"Yeah, it's me. Can I come in?" Buttercup rushed from the small study and shut her book. She set it on the dining room table. She grabbed the lock. Before she unlocked it, she took a deep breath, preparing for what was about to transpire. She cleared her throat before unlocking the lock and opening the door.

"Hey," Butch greeted with a small wave. Buttercup smiled slightly.

"Hey… come in." Buttercup backed up to let him through. She shut the door behind him and walked towards the small kitchen. She grabbed two sodas from the refrigerator and set them on the small dining room table. Once Butch shuffled out of his jacket and boots, he joined Buttercup at the table. Buttercup handed him one and sat across from him.

"So…" Butch started.

"So…" Buttercup nodded.

"Look, Buttercup, I'm really, _really_ sorry about all this shit I put you through for the past two weeks. It was a dick thing to do, and I don't expect you to forgive me for it at all. I got the piss beaten out of me to prove how full of regret I am about this whole thing. I'm just really sorry." Butch sighed and took a long drink from his soda bottle. Buttercup smiled.

"It's okay. I was pissed at you, but I'm glad you decided to come and talk to me. For that alone, I forgive you." Buttercup leaned over the table, her eyes turning dark. "But if you ever do that again, I will castrate you with the rustiest wrench I can find." She leaned back in her chair with a bright smile quickly replacing her grim look. Butch rolled his eyes with a chuckle.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Kitten."

* * *

The night was thick with darkness. It was unlike any kind of darkness he was used to. Of course, training for years in the darkest, most miserable place on the planet makes one accustomed to the intensity.

Jessie sat cross-legged on the edge of the hill that overlooked his former place of residence. His dark reddish-pink eyes swirled in delight as he eyed the loud nightlife coming from the downtown area of Townsville. Suddenly, a tall figure in a black cloak glided from the forest area behind Jessie. The brunette looked behind him and smirked as the figure walked up to him.

"Jessie, it is time. All of your training has prepared you for this day. Do this for me, and you will more powerful than any of them." Jessie stood up from the ground as his smirked widened into a malicious grin.

"I've been waiting for this for years. I promise I won't disappoint you." HIM chuckled and pulled out a slip of paper from his cloak and handed it to Jessie.

"This is the address," Jessie grabbed it. HIM then pulled out two keys: one gold and one silver. "And these are for your door and car. The gold is for the car, and the silver if for the door. _Don't_ lose them." Jessie took them both and stuffed them into the back pocket of his dark jeans.

"Thank you." He glanced at the road at the bottom of the hill. "Well, I'll be off." HIM smirked.

"Good luck, Jessie." Jessie waved once before trotting off down the hill.

He smirked once he saw the beaming town in front of him. Each nerve ending in his body was electrified by excitement and a deep seated loathing burrowed itself into the pit of his stomach. With HIM's guidance, he was finally ready to be on his own. Of course, the Devil himself would be keeping tabs on Jessie's progress, but the rest was all up to the brunette.

With one final satisfied chuckle, Jessie tucked his hands into his jacket pockets and waltzed down the road whistling an upbeat tune.

* * *

 **Ooooooh things are about to happen! Are you as excited at I am? Sorry this took so long. Holidays and stuff. But I hope I didn't disappoint.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Bye Guys!**

 ** _~TheRedWolf_ **


	4. Chapter 4

**Time**

 **Part 1: Long Enough**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

* * *

Boomer woke up with a very stiff neck. He groaned slightly as he sat up from his bed and rubbed the back of it. He didn't believe he had slept in a strained position the previous night, but he couldn't be sure. He hadn't felt this bad since the time when HIM tried to take control of his mind. He shuddered. Just thinking about what happened all those years ago made him want to vomit.

He rolled his head from side to side before standing up from his bed. Just as he came out of his room, he heard the most obnoxious snoring coming from the guest room across the hall. Boomer rolled his eyes. How could his brother's comrades stand sleeping anywhere near him? He sounded like a sick bear.

Boomer sighed before he trotted his way downstairs. He jumped suddenly at a noise from down the hall. He glanced behind him and saw Sasha scratching at the backyard door. She almost looked invisible against the light snow that was falling from the sky and from the piles of it on the ground. Boomer smiled and jogged towards the door. He unlocked it and slid it open. Sasha made sure to wipe her paws on the large mat that was just in front of the door before coming into the warm home.

Boomer let Sasha out to explore and patrol the neighborhood when she got big and strong enough to handle a little crime. She made sure criminals stayed out of people's homes and would even trot along with those who were walking home by themselves in the dead of night. The civilians around the neighborhood frequently left Boomer and Sasha baked goods or special dog toys and treats in the mornings.

"Hello, Sasha. How was your night?" Sasha glanced up at him and opened her mouth. Her tongue lolled out of it and her chops twitched up into what she could get her owner to understand was a smile. Boomer chuckled. "That's good. Come on, I'll make us some breakfast. One of our neighbors, Joanna, left you some kind of breakfast pastries the last time you walked her home. I'll make you some if you want." Boomer made his way towards the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, pulling out the large roll of breakfast pastry. Sasha barked with want. Boomer chuckled and began to prepare her food.

After Boomer let Sasha eat, he made his own breakfast of pancakes and eggs. He sat down in the living room and switched on the television. He clicked through the channels before landing on some older Looney Toon cartoons that he always watched as a kid. Sasha played with one of her chew toys and rolled around on the floor beside him. Boomer dug into his breakfast and sighed in contentment.

Just as he finished his food, there was a knock at the door. Boomer set down his half empty plate and made his way to the front door. He unlocked it and pulled it open.

"Devon! How are you?" Boomer greeted the large, mahogany skinned man with a smile. He stuck out his hand, and Devon gave it a firm handshake.

"I'm well, I'm well. May I come in for a second?" Boomer let go of his hand and stepped back, opening the door further.

"Of course, come on in." Devon stepped in and removed his gloves and hat. Boomer closed the door behind him.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked politely. Devon shook his head.

"Oh no, thank you. I'll only be here a second." Boomer nodded.

"So what's up?" Devon's light brown eyes sparkled in excitement.

"We have a new neighbor!" he announced. Boomer raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" Devon nodded.

"Yup, he moved in either last night or the night before. I'm not really sure since I only heard about this from Joanna and Ambrosia. I swear, those women know everything about everything that goes on in this neighborhood." Boomer snickered thinking about all of the gossip that came his way whenever he spoke to the adoptive sisters.

"Who is he? Do they know his name at all?" Devon moved his eyes up to the ceiling in thought.

"Uh, something with a 'J,' I think. Like, I don't want to say girlish, but it definitely sounds like it could be a female name. At least, that's kind of how it's spelled. That's what the Neighborhood Gossip told me," he joked, referring to the sisters. Boomer could feel his throat tighten up. His mouth ran dry, and he could feel his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.

"Does this name happen to sound like it could be a nickname for 'Jessica' by any chance?" Devon snapped his fingers before pointing at Boomer.

"Ah, that's it! His name is Jessie! Thanks, bud. I knew it was something like that."

Oh god.

Boomer couldn't feel anything. He couldn't hear. He couldn't think. At least, he couldn't think about anything except for the notion that his long lost friend had returned to Townsville. Where did he go? How did he get back? Why did he just up and leave like that five whole years ago? Boomer quickly glanced up at Devon.

"Where does he live?" Devon pulled out a small piece of paper from his back pocket.

"The Neighborhood Gossip gave me his address." He handed Boomer the paper.

"Thank you, Devon." Devon scoffed.

"Don't thank me, thank the Neighborhood Gossip. They knew his address even before the poor guy moved in." He placed his hat and gloves back on and stepped up to the door. "Well, I'll be off. Make sure you say hi. Having a superhero around just might make him a bit more comfortable." He opened the door and stepped out into the chilly air. "Either that or make him pack up and leave with his tail between his legs." He chuckled before holding up a hand. "See you later, Boomer." Boomer waved and locked the door after Devon closed it. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. He used to be the kind of guy to scoff and laugh at the people who told him that the past will come back to haunt you. But now, he was sure all of those people were subconsciously laughing at him.

"Shit…" Now, Boomer was extremely thankful that Brick was a heavy sleeper.

* * *

"Well, here we go." Boomer sighed as he exited his car. He locked the doors and eyed the house he was parked in front of .

It was an average suburban home with a quaint white door at the front. The porch was a bit bigger than the others on the street, and the exterior color was a soft, cool steel blue. The window frames matched the door color, and most of them were covered in drapes of some kind. The only one that wasn't was the window that seemed to look into the kitchen. Boomer sighed and waltzed up the small hill to the front door.

He stepped up the porch steps and lifted his hand to the doorbell. He took a deep breath before pushing down on the button. He backed away from the door and turned around, not quite ready to see Jessie's face when he opened the door. He stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets.

Boomer frowned slightly. What was taking Jessie so long to open his door? He turned back around and pressed the doorbell once again. He waited for a good ten minutes before shuffling over to the only window that wasn't covered with the drapes. Nothing. Was Jessie not even home? Boomer sighed. Maybe it was a good thing. He didn't think he was ready to confront the brunette just yet anyway. Boomer sighed and jogged back down the porch and quickly moved down the small hill towards his car. He glanced back up at the house before sliding into the driver's seat. He placed the key into the keyhole but didn't turn on the engine. He stared up at the white door just to make sure Jessie wasn't rushing towards the door to catch whomever it was who desperately wanted to see him.

After what felt like a lifetime, there was still no movement coming from the steel blue house. Boomer grumbled and turned the engine on. He turned around and rolled his way back down to his side of the neighborhood.

* * *

Blossom glanced down at her buzzing phone on the steel table as she chomped away at her turkey and cheese sandwich. She was currently seated in the cafeteria of the laboratory she worked at. She was hoping she was going to have a nice, quiet break with no interruptions, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

Blossom sighed before wiping the crumbs from her fingers on a napkin. She pushed her neatly placed lab coat from her phone screen so she could see who was calling her. To her surprise, Boomer's face flashed on screen. She grabbed her phone and slid a finger over the green speak tab before holding it up to her ear.

"Hey, Boomer," she greeted.

" _Hi, Blossom…_ " The pink Powerpuff frowned slightly. Boomer was usually a lot more cheerful when on the phone. She decided to pry.

"You okay? You sound like you've just seen something horrifying." Blossom giggled a bit at her own joke.

" _Yeah, well, I haven't yet._ " Blossom pursed her lips in curiosity.

"What do you mean 'yet?'" Boomer sighed deeply from the other end.

" _I think my past has finally come back to haunt me. My neighbor came over this morning and told me that we have a new resident in the_ _neighborhood. You won't believe who it is._ " Blossom clutched her phone tighter, wanting to know even more.

"Who is it?"

" _...It's Jessie._ " Blossom gasped.

"Jessie? But…but I thought he went missing!"

" _That's what I thought! I guess he decided it was time to show up again._ " Blossom shook her head. It was so much to take in. She remembered all of the patrols she went on with her sisters when they were told of the news. It was a hard time for everyone, especially the blue Rowdyruff.

"Are…are you okay?" She knew mentioning Jessie to Boomer would result in the Rowdyruff to be drained of all positive feelings or cheerfulness for the rest of the day. She could tell it still hurt him.

" _No, I'm not, believe it or not. I just… I went over to his house. It's a cute steel blue color with a white door and window frames. He's always_ _had a thing for blue. I thought he would be there, but I guess I missed him. But just knowing that he's here, that he's in Townsville… it's… I don't know._ "

"Boomer, it'll be okay, I promise. I think the best thing you can do is to not bombard him with questions. It might make him uncomfortable. Remember, you two have seen each other in - what? Six, seven years? I think letting him naturally answer your questions would be best." Blossom rubbed her forehead. She didn't know if what she was saying was making Boomer feel any better or not. What was she _supposed_ to say to him? She wasn't really in his position. Suddenly, Brick's face flashed through her mind. Oh, wait…

"Boomer, listen, I don't want you to make this awkward for yourself. You just have to swallow your pride and try to see him again. Maybe after that, you can set up a sort of 'date' so that you two can sit down and talk. Try going to a place that's special for the both of you. Trust me when I say talking will be the best remedy for your relationship right now. I'm sure you'll feel a lot better once you get everything off your chest." She thought back to her meeting with Brick. The only big thing she didn't mention was the feelings that she may or may not still have for him.

"Well, you can get _most_ things off your chest." Boomer sighed heavily.

" _Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks for the advice, Mom Bloss._ " Blossom grinned. She felt like one of the group when Boomer had started calling her 'Mom Bloss' back in their senior year of high school. He told her that she would be a good mother someday, and he was thankful that she looked after him during the school year. Thus, Mom Bloss was born.

"You're so welcome, Boomer. Oh, before I forget, I've been talking to Bubbles, and we've decided that for the holiday season, we should all get together and go to a ski resort! I think it would be good for all of us to get away from the city for a bit. Plus, it'll kind of be like our trip to Virginia Beach junior year." Boomer seemed to perk up at the news.

" _That sounds great! Just tell me when so I can call off for work. I think the store could let me go for a while. Hopefully, my boss will let me go. Am I going to need to buy a plane ticket by any chance?_ "

"Bubbles and I have it all under control. All you have to do is show up. We're leaving Saturday night at five. Our plane leaves for Utah at around six-thirty. Robin and Mitch are coming to pick you all up, and Buttercup said we can use her car for the luggage. And make sure you pack enough for two weeks since we're planning to stay for Christmas and New Years." Boomer agreed in excitement.

" _Great! Oh, I can't wait! I should probably start packing now, huh?_ " Blossom giggled.

"Considering that it's Wednesday, yes, Boomer, you should definitely start packing." Boomer chuckled.

" _Well, I know you're at work. I hope I didn't interrupted anything important._ "

"I'm on my break, so you called at the perfect time."

" _Oh good. I'll get going then. Thanks again for the advice, Mom Bloss._ "

"Sure thing! If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me." Boomer agreed and said his goodbyes. Blossom turned off her screen and set her phone back down. She glanced at her watch and saw that she had a little under fifteen minutes left for break.

She grabbed her sandwich and quickly began to shove the rest into her mouth. Once she finished it off, she downed the bottled water and wiped her hands. She threw her trash away and grabbed her lab coat. Back to the grind.

* * *

Boomer moved his hips to the beat of the drums of the music he was playing. The speakers vibrated with the synths and bass of the electronic music that blasted from one of Boomer's favorite songs. He was in his room going back and forth from his closet to the large suitcase on his bed. He placed everything he would need for nearly two weeks.

Boomer could feel his spirits lift. Sure, he didn't get to see Jessie again, but Blossom was right: he just needed to play it cool. He didn't want to scare Jessie off with all of the questions that boiled in the pits of his mind. Even though he wanted to ask every question he could think of, he needed to control himself. He wanted their first meeting to be as natural as ever.

"Oh, shit," Boomer cursed to himself. He sighed deeply once he realized that he didn't have any toothpaste at all. "Well, time to go to the store." Boomer walked over to the small speakers and clicked them off. He picked up his phone from the small port in between the speakers. He grabbed his jacket off of his bed and headed downstairs.

Once he was in his car, Boomer sped down the street into the small plaza in the middle of his neighborhood. He parked next to the entrance of the small drug store and exited his car. He rushed in, chilled from the cold, and walked over to the toiletry section. He looked up and down across the aisle, trying to find the toothpaste he always used. Suddenly, he ran right into another person. He heard the scattering of bags and tubes on the ground and quickly leaned down to pick them up.

"I'm so sorry; I didn't see where I was going." Boomer apologized, not looking up. The other person chuckled.

"It's okay, we were both in the…" Boomer glanced up and froze. The other person stiffened just the same. Boomer knew those blue-hazel eyes anywhere.

"B-Boomer?" Jessie asked. Boomer smiled slightly.

"Yeah… What's up, Jessie?" The brunette smiled sweetly and quickly gathered up the rest of his fallen supplies. The two stood up falling into silence once more. Boomer took Jessie in.

Jessie's hair was still massively curly and fell over his forehead, almost covering one of his eyes. The sides were shaved down which left a line of curls starting from the back of his neck. The tips of the curls over his forehead were dyed a pink ombreing into a deep red color. Boomer frowned slightly. Jessie was always picky about what colors he chose to put in his hair. He even heard Jessie say that he never really liked the color red.

Boomer looked down at Jessie's well-assembled outfit, and his smile returned to his face. Same old Jessie. But there was still something… off about him. Boomer didn't know if it was the way Jessie was smiling unsurely at him, or if it was the way his eyes sparkled. He no longer saw the innocence that swam in those blue-hazel eyes. Something else replaced it.

"Are you okay?" Jessie asked, chuckling a bit. Boomer snapped out of his hard observations and smiled up at the brunette.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. It's just… it's really great to see you, Jessie. We…we were all pretty worried about you." Suddenly, Boomer felt a tremor under his feet. It was deep and vibrated violently. As soon as he felt it, it was gone. "Did you feel that?" he asked with a frown. Jessie stared at him.

"Feel what?" Boomer glanced up at him. Something was wrong with Jessie. He could feel it. The way he looked at him was… off. He growled at himself. He hated not being able to place his finger on what exactly was off about Jessie! It made him feel like the biggest piece of shit. Boomer decided not to bring up the vibrations he felt underneath him and shook his head.

"Nothing. It was probably just a really big truck or something." Jessie chuckled.

"Damn those super senses, am I right?" Boomer chuckled along with him.

"Definitely!" Jessie smiled. "So, how have you been, Jess? Where… where did you run off to? Like I said, we were all worried." Boomer turned back to the shelves, looking for his toothpaste. Jessie sighed.

"Things at home were awful. School was awful. I just had to get away. So, I left. I took nothing with me but my legs and the air in my lungs." Boomer came to a realization.

"You didn't want to be found." Jessie nodded.

"Yup. That's why my phone was left here." Boomer picked up two tubes of his toothpaste and glanced back up to Jessie.

"So, where did you go? Clearly, you've been doing well for yourself." Jessie opened his mouth to speak but a sharp, hissing whisper slithered its way into his head.

" _ **Don't tell him anything. He will find out where you've been soon enough.**_ " Jessie clutched his head. Boomer frowned and placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder.

"Jess, you okay?" Jessie moved his hand from his head and shrugged off Boomer's grip on his shoulder.

"Fine. Listen, Boomer, I should get going. I'll see you later, okay?" Boomer nodded, although he was disappointed. He wanted Jessie to tell him everything, but it didn't look like he was going to get his wish.

"Yeah. I'll… see you later, Jessie." Jessie nodded and quickly made his way to the cash register. As he left, Boomer could've sworn that he saw a fleck of red spiking through Jessie's hazel eyes.

Boomer turned and saw Jessie quickly gather up his bags and head straight for the door, exiting into the cold winter air. Boomer sighed. He walked over to the register himself and paid for his toothpaste. After he exited the store, he looked around the parking lot to see if he could spot Jessie's car. No such luck. Boomer grumbled to himself about being an idiot and chasing Jessie off as he clambered into his car.

Once Boomer was home, he rushed back up the stairs to his room and packed the toothpaste up with the rest if his toiletries.

"There. Ready for nearly two weeks of snowy fun." Even though he was packed and ready to go, Boomer felt a sting in his chest. He was leaving town for a while, but his mind would be staying behind, thinking about Jessie.

* * *

Saturday came faster than Boomer expected. It was nearing five o'clock, and he was frantically placing his luggage down by the door. He checked his list twice and even three times before he was satisfied. He patted his pockets to make sure he had his keys, phone, and wallet and was happy that they were all there.

He made his way back downstairs and patted Sasha on her head.

"Alright girl, I'll see you in about two weeks. Think you can survive that long without me?" Sasha gave him a look that only asked, 'are you serious?' Boomer chuckled and gave her one more pat on the head. "Good, girl." Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He unlocked it and saw that he got a text from Bubbles.

' _We're outside!'_ it read. Boomer smiled and grabbed his bags. He slung his book bag on his back and took the other two rolling suitcases in his hands. He opened up his door and exited, locking up behind him.

"Hey, Boomer!" The blonde glanced up and saw Blossom and Buttercup waving from the green Powerpuff's Mustang. Boomer waved back with a bright smile and trudged down across the snow to the car. Blossom jumped out and opened her arms out for a hug. Boomer let go of his bags and hugged her warmly.

"All of your stuff can go into the back. Just find an open spot." Boomer nodded and rounded to the trunk of the car.

"Hey, Little Boy Blue!" Butch's voice rang out to him from an approaching van. It pulled up just behind the Mustang. Butch quickly got out and grabbed his unsuspecting brother.

"Ah! Butch. Can't… Just because I'm superhuman doesn't mean… ah… that I don't need… Oxygen!" Butch cackled and lifted his brother off of the ground, clutching him tighter.

"Butch, will you please not strangle our brother? Leave that until _after_ we get to Utah." Brick crossed his arms over his broad chest with a lopsided smile.

"Yeah, Butch. Wait, after?" Butch sighed and dropped Boomer from his clutches, which caused the blonde to plop to the ground on his backside.

"Fine, I'll strangle him after we get there." Brick rolled his eyes playfully and helped Boomer up.

Once the two got everything in the back of Buttercup's car, Boomer climbed into the van. He gasped and smiled once he saw how else was in the van.

"Sup, man!" Mitch chuckled from the passenger seat up front. Boomer smiled and clapped hands with the brunette.

"Nothing much! How've you been? Man, I haven't seen you since freshman year of college!" Mitch chuckled.

"Oh you know, I've been pretty good. And I've recently moved in with the love of my life." Robin giggled and glanced back at Boomer.

"He just says that to stay on my good side," she joked with a roll of her blue eyes. "How are you, Boomer? Haven't really heard from you." Boomer shrugged.

"I'm good, I guess." He suddenly thought back to his bump in with Jessie for the first time in five years. He hoped his face didn't give anything away. "I… could be better, though."

"You're not doing okay?" Bubbles spoke up from the seat next to him. Boomer smiled slightly.

"Just trying to find a job for me. I don't think I could be a grocery store box boy for the rest of my life. It's been kind of stressful." Bubbles nodded.

"Don't worry, I get it. Finding a job isn't easy. But I'm sure you'll get one, no problem." Boomer nodded and buckled himself in. Brick and Butch moved the third seat in the second row up so they could clamber into the back. Vincent reluctantly climbed in the back, squeezing himself next to Brick. The redhead seemed to growl down at the brunette and moved as far away from Vincent as he could. Butch grinned at their discomfort and tried to suppress a laugh.

Once everyone was as settled as they were willing to get, Robin pushed a button above her which closed the doors. She gave a honk to the Mustang in front of them, signaling that they were ready. Buttercup honked back and pulled away from the sidewalk, driving down the road with the van following close behind.

* * *

"Ah! I'm so excited! I can't believe we actually got first class. Bloss, you are amazing!" Robin bounced in the comfy, cream colored chair in excitement. She swiveled around to face Blossom with a large grin. "I can't believe you actually know the captain!" Blossom giggled.

"He's a friend of dad's. Professor told him we were going on a little winter getaway and was glad to give us the best seats this plane can offer." Robin swiveled back around with a small squeal.

"Make sure you thank your dad when we get back then." Mitch chuckled at his girlfriend's bubbly look on her face and poked her exposed belly. Robin squeaked and snuggled up to his shoulder. Mitch chuckled once more and pulled Robin closer.

Butch pushed his bag up into the overhead container and plopped back down next to Buttercup.

"Hey." Buttercup glanced up at him and smiled.

"Hey." Butch popped the chewing gum he had in his mouth and smirked, laying his head back on the chair.

"You okay?" he suddenly asked. Buttercup scoffed.

"Butch, you asked me this when we came to pick you up, before we got into the airport, and right before we got on the plane. Since you seemed to be deaf those three whole times, I'll say it again; I'm. Fine."

"You don't feel sick at all? No sort of cramps or whatever?" Buttercup snorted.

"Cramps, Butch?" The green Rowdyruff shrugged his shoulders, frowning.

"Well, I don't know what women go through when they're pregnant!" Buttercup shook her head, glancing back out the small window.

"You should've bought that baby book I told you to get. But no. You didn't think it was," she held up her fingers, "' _manly_ ' enough for your precious time." Butch scoffed.

"It's not! How many guys do you see reading some dumb, girly baby book?" Buttercup whipped her head around with a fire in her eyes.

"The guys who want to make their pregnant girlfriends happy by trying to be a better father! That's who, Butch! God, if you can't step up and at least do that little thing for me, then how do you expect to raise a child with me?" Her voice grew. Buttercup's face was turning red, and her voice crackled with her borderline shrieking at the man sitting next to her. Her eyes even took on an acid-like glow to them. Everyone else stopped their conversations to glance at the feuding couple.

"You need to step the fuck up and step up quickly if you want to be a part of this baby's life! If you can't do that, what the hell am I supposed to tell him or her? Oh, your daddy didn't want to learn how to take care of you, so he moved on? Butch, I ask nothing of you! EVER! I never ask you to do one damn thing for me! Now, I ask you to do this one little thing to get you to get your act together, and what do you say? That it's not _**manly**_ enough for your time?" Buttercup's eyes began to water. She silently cursed at herself once she felt the sting of tears at the corners of her eyes. She hated crying in front of all the others.

" _ **FUCK YOU, BUTCH! FUCK YOU**_!" The raging Powerpuff finally whipped back around to the window and scooted her way as far away from Butch as she could. The air was filled to the brim with crackling tension. No one could escape the discomfort caused by the argument that just ensued. Butch stared at her, wanting to say something, but before he could, the pilot walked into first class with a bright smile on his face along with his copilot.

"Hello, folks! Are ya'll ready for the trip?" The other adults all put on their best smiles and agreed. All except for Buttercup and Butch. The pilot seemed satisfied and made his way to the cockpit along with his copilot. The copilot seemed star struck as she walked past the superheroes and tried not to stare all that much. Once they were gone, the first class section continued to ring with tension.

After about fifteen minutes of waiting, the pilot's voice rung out from the speakers. He informed the passengers that it would take four hours and eight minutes to get from Townsville to Utah. The pilot also announced that there would be little to no cloud coverage for the whole flight. Then, he told them to sit back, relax , and to have a great flight.

Once the flight attendants went over the safety regulations, the pilot clicked on the engine and eased the large aircraft towards the runway. He lined up as perfectly as he could get it and stepped on the accelerator. The plane sped down the runway before lifting off steeply into the sky. The lights were then clicked off once the plane was leveled out, leaving the whole interior in slight darkness.

That's when Butch heard it. Small sniffles and sobs coming from the woman sitting next to him. He removed his headphones and glanced down at her shaking figure. The others seemed to hear Buttercup too, since they all ceased their quiet conversations. Butch felt _awful_. He didn't mean to make her so upset. But she was right. He had to step up his game if he wanted to keep his girl _and_ his unborn child. Butch reached out to her and gently grabbed her arm before wrapping a strong arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards his chest. Buttercup let him guide her and buried her face in her hands.

"I can't do this by myself… I can't do this alone…" Butch kissed the top of her head tenderly.

"Shh, shh, I know. I'm sorry, Buttercup. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you so upset. I'm sorry." Buttercup removed her hands from her face but continued to sob. Butch kissed her wet cheek and brought a hand up to wipe the tears away. He leaned down and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. With each loving word, Buttercup's cries quieted down.

Buttercup sniffed one last time before curling up into Butch's arms. Butch held her tight and placed a gentle hand on top of Buttercup's belly. He needed to start thinking about what was in there. He needed to be the best dad he could be.

"Hey, Kitten?" Buttercup glanced up at him.

"Uh-huh?" Butch meet her eyes.

"Have… you been thinking about names at all?"

* * *

The four hours went by quickly. Once the plane rolled up to the terminal, the group unbuckled their belts and grabbed all of their stuff. They chattered away as they made their way into the airport and down to the luggage pick up.

Before they went to go pick everything up, Blossom organized them into two groups. Buttercup, Bubbles, Robin, and Butch were in charge of finding them two rental cars while Brick, Boomer, Mitch, Vincent, and her all took care of the luggage. Once she split up the group, Blossom led the other men towards the luggage claim. After they successfully grabbed all of the luggage, Blossom received a text from Robin saying that they found the perfect cars for them. Blossom sent her a text back instructing Robin to pull up near the exit.

Robin drove one van while Bubbles drove the other. They pulled up as close to the exit as they could and opened the trunks and doors for the other adults. Brick, much to Vincent's dissatisfaction, insisted on handling the luggage and began to pack it into each van. Blossom reassured her boyfriend that Brick has always been the stubborn one and liked to do things his way.

Soon, it was time for them to head off to find the resort. Blossom directed while Robin dove, the other van close behind. Robin expressed much love for Blossom's navigating skills once she realized that the pink Powerpuff got them to their resort in under twenty minutes. Once they arrived Blossom, along with Vincent, went to go check in. Brick offered to go, but Blossom insisted that he stayed near the vans. Brick huffed and crossed his arms with a deep scowl on his face. Buttercup jumped out of the van and glanced up at him.

"You can't pout forever, Brick Head." Brick snarled.

"I'm not pouting. I'm having a well-deserved scowl. Is there a reason why I've been cast to the side like this?" Buttercup rolled her tired eyes.

"You're not her boyfriend. If you were then that would be you being all touchy feely with her as you checked in. Might as well get over it." Brick clenched his jaw.

"Hmph." Blossom and Vincent came back out and told them which cabin they would be staying in. The group all clambered back into the vans and headed up a small road to their very large, two story cabin.

Bubbles and Robin quickly got out and ran towards the door, excited to see the inside. Once they were in, all the others could hear were their squeals of delight.

"I guess that means it's pretty cool in there." Boomer chuckled. Brick patted his brother's chest with a broad smile.

"Race ya!" He took off towards the cabin with Boomer right on his tail. Blossom called out to them.

"Hey! Who's going to help with this luggage?" Brick turned around as he stood at the open cabin door.

"Don't worry, Red! We'll come back and help!"

"Yo, Brick, there's a hot tub!" Brick grinned in the direction of Boomer's voice. He glanced back at Blossom and shrugged.

"Or, you know, maybe not!" Before Blossom could protest further, Brick disappeared into the house.

"Mitch, come here! I think I found our room!" The rest of the group glanced up and saw Robin standing on the snowy balcony. Mitch chuckled and called back up to her.

"Be right up, Roe." Mitch jogged away to catch up with her.

"Mitch!" Blossom protested.

"Sorry, Bloss! You know how it is!" Mitch saluted to the remaining group before ducking into the building.

Butch chuckled and grabbed his and Buttercup's luggage before grabbing her hand, leading her towards the cabin.

"Seriously?" Buttercup giggled.

"I'm pregnant! I deserve sleep." Blossom groaned once she noticed that it would only be her and Vincent taking care of all the luggage.

"Can you believe them?" she asked the tall brunette. Vincent chuckled.

"Well, Buttercup actually does have a legitimate excuse." Blossom rolled her eyes playfully.

"Har, har. Come on, let's do this before we freeze to death." Vincent agreed and followed Blossom to the back of the van, helping her out.

* * *

" _ **Look at them. Being… happy. You deserved that happiness. You still do. Go now, make sure you use this time wisely."**_ The brunette glared down at the laughing, happy group of adults.

"Are you sure they won't see me?" HIM chuckled.

" _ **Oh, they'll never have the slightest idea of your presence.**_ " Jessie's lips upturned into a fanged smirk. His deep, blue-hazel eyes morphed into swimming, pink and red orbs. He was ready.

"I won't disappoint you." The demon chuckled and leaned down to Jessie's ear.

" _ **Oh Jessie, I never had a doubt in my mind.**_ " With a flick of his claw, Jessie fazed away into thin air, cloaking in invisibility.

They would pay. He planned to get what he wanted, even if it meant spilling innocent blood.

* * *

 **HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **Oh my goodness, I can't believe it is already 2016! I graduate this year from high school, YAY! It's exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.**

 **So, I know this chapter is a long time coming. I'm sorry. I don't really have an excuse but, if you are still in school than you know how nice it is to have two whole weeks off to do absolutely nothing. It's great. I did work on some of this chapter during break and got it finished during the weekend. Revising it with my Beta took about two days after break so it wasn't that bad. I really hope you all like this chapter. It was really fun to write. Especially when Jessie came back.**

 **If you read carefully and have a good memory, than you'll be able to see some... similarities to when Boomer and Jessie first met to this time when they meet again. I bet some of you caught that.**

 **Well, all I want to say now is that I hope each and every one of you had a fantastic break and, if you celebrate, You got everything you wanted for Christmas. And I hope you all had a happy New Year!**

 **I'll see you next chapter! It will be kicking off part 2!**

 **Bye Guys!**

 **~TheRedWolf**


	5. Chapter 5

**Time**

 **Part 2: Metamorphose**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

* * *

Blossom yawned as she woke up from her deep slumber. She looked at the clock on the wooden nightstand next to the dark wood bed and glanced at the time. It was a little after nine o'clock. Blossom rubbed her eyes and pushed back the pink plaid blankets. She requested the color before they arrived at the cabin. She swung her legs over the edge and slipped her feet into the soft slippers she placed there.

After she was situated, Blossom quietly made her way towards the door, making sure to not wake the snoring Vincent in the process. She tiptoed up to the door and exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Suddenly, Blossom smelled bacon and waffles in the air. She lifted her nose to sniff the air just to make sure her nose wasn't deceiving her.

 _That's definitely food someone is cooking. I wonder who would be up this early._

Blossom decided to go down the wide wooden stairs to find out who was in the kitchen. She moved down the stairs and walked down the wide hallway that was just down from the front door. She peeked into the large, open kitchen and was surprised to see a certain redheaded male cooking away at the stove.

"Brick?" Blossom asked as she moved into the kitchen. The male glanced up with a smile.

"Good morning, Red." Blossom couldn't help but quiver. His voice was thick like he just woke up, which made his appeal even harder to resist. Brick glanced down at the rest of her body. "Nice gown." Blossom looked down and realized that she was wearing her silky pink nightgown with the black lace slip over it. It was also very, _very_ short, stopping mid thigh. She blushed.

"Uh, thanks. Nice… um, no shirt…" Brick chuckled, reveling in the fact that Blossom was observing his chest like it was the last thing she was ever going to see.

"Why, thank you, Red. You want some breakfast?" Blossom ripped her eyes away from his chest and nodded, sitting down at the island in front of him. Brick walked over to the fridge and pulled out the bacon and waffles. He removed his own bacon from the pan before greasing it with a bit more oil.

"How many do you want?" Brick asked.

"Uh, three, please." Brick took out three strips of bacon and placed them all in the pan. They sizzled and popped as they came into contact with the heat and oil. Brick set the lid back on the pan and wiped his hands on a towel.

Blossom watched him as he made her breakfast. Something about the way he looked with his short, messy bed head and slight sleepiness in his red eyes made her feel special. She wondered if he would do this for her every morning if they lived together. Or if they would switch off every morning with her doing it one day and Brick the next day. Maybe he would make her breakfast after a long night of…activities. Hot, sweaty, dirty activities…

"Blossom!" Brick waved his hand in front of her face. Blossom snapped out of her trance and looked him in the eyes.

"Huh? What?" Brick smirked.

"Do you want waffles?" Blossom blushed and nodded, holding up two fingers. Brick's smirk widened. "Thinking about me, Red?" Blossom gasped.

"Like I would ever think about you, Brick! And no, I was just thinking about how good breakfast was going to be, if you must know." Brick chuckled before handing Blossom her plate. Blossom took it and set it in front of her. She studied the syrup covered waffles and the steaming bacon as she licked her lips. She took her fork and began to dig in.

Brick cleaned up the cooking ware before walking over to Blossom's side. He leaned down on the marble surface and smiled as he watched Blossom stuff her mouth with bacon and waffle.

"Is it good, Blossom?" he asked jokingly.

"It's great! You should make me breakfast more often." She swallowed before grinning up at him. Brick chuckled. Blossom brought her thumb up to her lips, wiping away the syrup that stuck under her bottom lip.

"I'd love that." Blossom was about to stick her thumb in her mouth to get rid of the syrup, but Brick grabbed her wrist. Her leaned his head down and opened his lips, sticking her thumb in between his teeth. He sucked away at her thumb, lathering it with his hot tongue.

Blossom's breath kicked up, coming out in shallow pants. Brick pulled away from her thumb and turned her hand over, exposing the underside of her wrist. He leaned back down and slowly moved the tip of his tongue from the bottom of her hand, over her wrist. Blossom gasped in pleasure. Her fingers curled as he did it once more.

" _Brick_ …" she whispered. The Rowdyruff set down her hand and moved behind her. He slipped his large hands around her waist and pulled her closer to his chest. He dipped his head down to her neck and kissed it gently.

Blossom moved her head to the other side and leaned back on his shoulder. She brought her hands up to clutch at his fiery hair. She moaned once Brick began to suck on her sensitive spot.

Suddenly, Blossom's eyes snapped open. What was she doing? What if Vincent or one of their siblings caught them? Blossom removed her hands from Brick and grabbed at his hands, shoving them away from her waist. Brick stumbled back with a confused look on his face.

"Woah, what the hell, Red?" Blossom spun around in her bar stool to face him.

"Brick, we can't do this. We can't! I'm in a relationship with a man I love. I can't just sacrifice that for - whatever this is!" She motioned between the two of them. "Now, I'm sorry if I lead you to believe that there was something here, but there just isn't. I can't jeopardize losing Vincent for this, okay? I'm sorry if I led you to believe otherwise." Brick huffed, crossing his arms.

Why would she let him touch her so intimately if she was going to freak out like that? He knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. There was no denying how she felt about him. Brick could see it in her eyes that she wanted to know what it felt like to be with him. Vincent could never fill the void that lay inside of her. She needed someone that was on her level of physical and mental strength. Someone to match what she had. Someone she wouldn't be afraid of breaking. Brick knew what she needed. But, for now, he would keep his distance.

"Fine. Whatever you want, Blossom. Enjoy your breakfast." Brick turned on his heel and quickly exited the kitchen. Blossom sighed glancing down at her breakfast, suddenly not feeling so hungry anymore.

* * *

Over the next couple of hours, everyone in the cabin began to surface out of their rooms. Blossom decided to make everyone a big breakfast since Brick thought it was a good idea to lock himself in his room for the rest of the morning. Blossom tried not to make herself look guilty when Vincent came up to kiss her. She couldn't tell him what happened even if she should. It would ruin the whole trip! She wanted Brick and Vincent to at least be civil for the holidays and telling Vincent what happened would only squash that dream.

Once everyone was fed and showered, the adults all congregated in the large living room to decide what they would be doing for the day. Bubbles brought out pamphlet after pamphlet of different snow related activities that they could all try. Buttercup suggested that they go skiing or snowboarding, but Blossom objected quickly. She didn't want her pregnant sister to end up falling on her belly and causing the baby harm. Buttercup _was_ about two months pregnant now.

Bubbles suggested that they tour the mountain. She held up a pamphlet and read out loud what they would be exploring and how long it would take. It would be a megabus ride from the main building of the resort up to the base of Mountain Eagle Den. Then, they would all take smaller, more stable snow cars up the winding slopes of the mountain to the top where they could enter the observational museum about climates and different types of tall mountains and what animals could live there. After that, they'd all hop back into the cars and take the bus back to the resort. The others seemed to like the idea, so Blossom decided that they would get ready for the day.

Blossom headed to the kitchen and, with Bubbles and Robin's help, began to pack a lunch for them to take for their trip. Buttercup and Butch decided it was the perfect time to play a few video games while everyone else rushed to get ready. Brick, Vincent, and Mitch all went up to their rooms to get the clothing they would need for a very cold ascent up the mountain. Boomer was sitting on one of the large couches studying the map and pamphlet for the mountain tour.

Everyone was ready to go by the time the clock struck one o'clock. Blossom set down the two cooler bags of food by the door and made sure she had everything she needed. Since she had ice powers, Blossom was the only one that didn't need to dress in heavy gear. All she decided to wear was her light pink leggings, black snow boots, a thinner coat, and her hat. She didn't even need gloves.

"Alright, guys, let's move out!" Blossom called to the rest of the group. One by one, each adult came down the stairs wrapped up in their outerwear. They all slipped on their boots before Blossom and Bubbles each grabbed a bag. They all exited the cabin, which locked itself behind them, before taking a short walk over to the main resort building.

"Need any help with that, babe?" Vincent asked, falling back to walk next to Blossom. She shook her head with a grateful smile.

"No, honey, I got it. Thanks for asking, though." Vincent smiled and reached for her hand which she gladly let him take into his own.

The group soon got to the bus that would take them to the base of the mountain. Since there was limited seating, everyone needed to pair up if they could. Butch naturally sat next to Buttercup. After their fight on the plane, he had been taking on the 'Worried Father' role quite instantly. He didn't want to leave Buttercup's side, no matter what. Robin sat with Mitch, and Boomer was about to sit next to Bubbles. Brick was standing behind his blonde brother, growing more aggravated the longer it took for Boomer to sit down.

"Fucking **MOVE!"** Boomer was going to tell Brick to calm down, but he was rudely interrupted when Brick decided to shove Boomer down in his seat.

"Ouch, hey! What's your problem?" Brick growled before taking the seat in the far back. The other guests on the bus didn't want to sit too close to him, so they all moved themselves as far away as possible. Bubbles glanced back at the steaming redhead with a worried look.

"Hey, Boomer, I think you should go sit with Brick. He seems kinda upset." Boomer scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Pft, what was your first clue?" Bubbles glanced up at him.

"Boomer, I'm serious. I think you should find out what's wrong with him." Boomer shook his head.

"He's not going to open up to me, Bubs." Bubbles placed a hand on his large arm and gave him her best puppy dog eyes.

"Please, for me?" Boomer glanced down at her and his face instantly softened. How could he say no to those eyes? Bubbles really knew how to tug at his heartstrings. He sighed.

"Fine. I'll go sit with him." Bubbles smiled.

"Thank you." Boomer fixed his hat before standing up from his seat. He walked down the aisle to where Brick was sitting. His older brother was staring out the window with a far gone look on his face.

"Brick, are you alright?" Brick turned his head towards the ceiling and blew a string of fire from his lips. He was literally burning with rage on the inside.

"Do I look fine to you?" Brick asked, facing the window again. Boomer hesitantly placed a comforting hand on Brick's shoulder.

"You can tell me what's wrong. I won't judge." Brick sighed, steam coming from his nose, before he glanced at his brother.

"It's… it's a long story." Boomer chuckled.

"We've got plenty of time, brother." Brick nodded before taking a few moments to calm himself down. Then, he opened his mouth and spilled about everything that transpired between him and Blossom.

* * *

The bus slowly came to a stop at the base of the mountain. The guests all began to gather up their things before they exited. Blossom grabbed the food bag next to her before glancing back at Brick and Boomer who were still chatting away. She hoped that Brick didn't tell his brother about what happened. That was something she didn't want to get out to the others.

Once the group was off of the bus, Blossom took Vincent's hand and led him to the small reception building so they could book their cars. Brick watched them go with jealousy swimming in his eyes. Boomer nudged him with his elbow.

"Let it go, man. Just try not to think about it. We came here to have fun." Brick nodded and turned away from the couple.

"Good lord, it's freezing!" Robin cried, holding her arms close to her chest. Bubbles giggled.

"Try giving Brick a hug. He has fire powers, you know." The brunette gasped.

"I totally forgot about that!" She turned to Brick. "May I?" Brick gave a lopsided smile and opened his arms. Robin bounced over to him and fell into his arms. "Mmm, you're so warm! I wish I had powers." She pulled away once she was warm enough and glanced up at him. "Do you think Rachel could spare some Chemical X?"

"Wait, does Chemical X work on regular people?" Butch suddenly asked. Boomer shrugged.

"Well, it definitely worked on Sasha. Who's to say that it won't work on Robin, too?" Robin stuck her nose in the air proudly.

"I'd be honored to be your mom's personal guinea pig." Before anyone else could comment, Blossom and Vincent walked back up to the group.

"Alright, we're good. We're in cars six, seven, and eight." The group all gathered themselves before moving to the cars.

The three tour guides all seemed to freeze in place as they saw the very powerful, very famous superheroes coming their way. They tried to contain their excitement of the fact that they would have the honor of showing The Powerpuff Girls and The Rowdyruff Boys all around Mount Eagle Den.

"Hello!" Blossom greeted politely. One of the guides, a small, caramel skinned lady, grinned up at the Powerpuff.

"Hi! Are, are you the Powerpuff Girls?" She motioned from Blossom to her sisters. Blossom giggled and nodded.

"That's us." The guide squealed.

"Wow, it's so great that you're here! I'm Olivia, you can call me Liv for short if you want." She pointed over to the other two guides. "The tall, lanky one with all of the piercings is Jones, and the other, tall lady is Piper. We'll be your guides!" The group waved to the other two and the man and woman hesitantly waved back. "Well, it doesn't matter who you sit with, so just split up how you want." Olivia walked back over to the other two guides excitedly.

"Well, who wants to sit with whom?" Boomer smirked over to the man with the dark hair and piercings.

"I'll go in Jones's car. He's cute." Bubbles rolled her eyes.

"Would you please?" The group laughed at the two, especially Bubbles who huffed with an eye roll.

"You're going to need to take someone else with you, Boomer." Blossom giggled. Bubbles raised her hand.

"I'll go with him." Blossom smirked at her, as did Robin and Buttercup. "Not because I care, okay? I just don't want Boomer to eat Jones alive."

"Fine. Anyone else? They're all six-seater buggies." Robin raised her hand.

"I'll go with them. Just so Bubbles doesn't accidentally kill anyone." Blossom smiled with a nod.

"Good, get going, then." Boomer, Bubbles and Robin all walked over to Jones' car and jumped in. Boomer sat up front next to the guide and the girls snuggled in, in the back. The all buckled up before Jones revved up the engine.

"Okay, well, I'm sitting with Vincent-" Buttercup snorted at her sister.

"Of course you are." Blossom scowled at her.

" _ **So**_ , that means we need the rest of you to figure out who's going with us." Mitch raised his hand.

"I will." Blossom nodded. Brick look from Mitch back to Blossom and raised his hand.

"So will I." Blossom's smiled dropped slightly.

"Uh, okay." Brick smirked. His face broke out into one that Blossom knew all too well. His face ultimately was composed with a mischievous smirk and a glint in his eyes that said, 'I'm going to give you hell today.'

The small group headed over to Olivia's car which left Butch and Buttercup to Piper. Blossom sat next to Olivia and Vincent plopped in next to Blossom. Mitch and Brick buckled themselves in the back.

Once everyone was buckled in, Olivia honked to the other two cars and pulled away from the snow covered lot. Olivia turned on her mic and began to talk about the mountain they were ascending.

Brick tuned Olivia out about halfway up the mountain and set his eyes on the couple in front of him. Every whisper, every look, every intimate touch made him want to unbuckle himself and roll down the cliff side in a bloody heap. It wasn't fair! None of it was fair! If he never left, _**he**_ would be the one whispering sweet nothings into his perfect Blossom's ear. _**He**_ would be the one she would cry on when she was hurt. _**He**_ would be the one she would make sweet love to or get downright nasty with. As cheesy as it may sound, he would be her superhero whenever she was in trouble. _**Not**_ Vincent. There was nothing special about the brunette. Nothing that Brick could see.

In the midst of Brick's internal rage, the cars pulled up to the observational museum on the top of the mountain. Olivia parked up to a snow mound and shut off the buggy. Blossom giggled as Vincent pulled her out. Brick rolled his eyes and unbuckled himself before grumpily lifting himself from the car. Mitch glanced over to the Rowdyruff.

"Uh, Brick? You're kind of melting the snow under your feet." Brick looked down and saw that he was slowly sinking into the steaming snow below him. He took a deep breath, blowing steam out of his nose, and stepped away from his foot holes. Mitch walked up to him before glancing at Blossom and Vincent.

"You really need to stop pouting, man." Brick snarled.

"I do not… I do not _pout_ , Mitch. I just don't know why they have to be so…close to each other." Mitch snorted.

"They're partners, man. What did you expect?" Mitch smirked at the redhead before walking off to find his girl. Brick groaned and decided to follow.

Once the group reunited, they entered the observational museum. Luckily, it was quite warm inside, and there was a coat rack where they could hang up what they didn't want to wear. The group shoved off their coats and gloves and hung them in the area. When they were situated, the group veered off in different directions, eyeing the displays of mountains and wildlife.

Brick wandered off on his own with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Even with all of the interesting information he could be reading about around him, he still couldn't keep his mind off of Blossom. He couldn't help it! It made him want to tear his own hair out. Why couldn't she just dump Vincent? It didn't seem so hard.

"Brick, are you okay?"

 _Speaking of the devil…_

Brick turned around and saw Blossom watching him. She looked rather concerned.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy." Brick gave an annoyed look before stalking off in the other direction. Blossom frowned. Going after him would be a bad idea, but, against her better judgment, she jogged after him anyway.

"Hey, Brick, what's the matter?" Blossom asked once she caught to him. They were far from the group, nearly on the other side of the museum. Brick faced her, his eyes blazing.

"Oh, come on, Red! You're way smarter than that. Trust me, I know. Why don't _you_ tell me what's the matter?" Blossom crossed her arms and sighed, not wanting to mention what happened during breakfast.

"You… you're upset at what happened this morning." She cursed herself. She didn't want to mention it! Damn her mouth…

"Yeah, that's right. Good girl points for you, Blossom. I mean, why would you let me touch you like that if you were _so_ committed to Vincent? If he's your 'one and only,' you should've pushed me away before you were moaning my name in my arms." Blossom scowled, uncrossing her arms before walking up to him.

"That's not fair! You know as well as I do that you can be very… persuasive. I realize my mistake, and I'm willing to move on. Why can't you do the same?"

"Because I…! I-I… ugh, forget it! Have fun, I'm going back to the cabin." Brick shoved pasted Blossom and bolted for the door, grabbing his jacket on the way out. Blossom watched him go. What was up with him? Why was he being so difficult lately? She needed to know. They were doing so well, too.

Blossom sighed and ran down to the front door. Vincent spotted her and walked up to her as she slipped on her jacket.

"Bloss, you okay? I saw Brick run out of here pretty fast. Is everything alright?" Blossom zipped up her jacket before glancing up at him. She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Everything's fine. I'm just going to check on Brick. If I'm not back, just stick to the group. Bubbles will know what's next on her little mountain climbing list. Don't worry about me." Vincent nodded before gently grabbed her hand and kissing it.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, hon, I'll be fine. You go and have some fun. I'll deal with Brick's hissy fit." Blossom pulled her hand away, leaned up, and gave Vincent a quick peck on the lips. She smiled once more before walking out into the cold mountain air.

Once she was outside, Blossom floated slightly off of the ground. She spotted the cabin and took off in a flash of pink light.

* * *

Blossom hung up her jacket after she entered the large cabin. She was surprised that she was greeted with silence when she walked in. She would have expected to hear the TV going or at least hear something breaking.

"Brick? Are you in here?" Nothing. The redhead sighed and walked towards the living room. It was empty. She walked up to the half wall that separated the living room and kitchen and glanced around. He wasn't in there either.

"What do you want?" Blossom gasped harshly before jumping around. She looked up and saw Brick leaning on the rails that overlooked the bottom half of the cabin. Blossom placed her hand to her chest and took a breath.

"Christ, you scared the piss outta me," Brick snorted humorlessly.

"Language." Brick walked down the overlooking hallway, keeping his eyes on Blossom. "I'll ask you again, Blossom: what do you want?" The Powerpuff crossed her arms.

"Ever since we came on this trip, you've been nothing but a spoilsport." Brick stomped down the stairs and walked into the living room. A deep scowl was on his face.

"Yes, I have. Your question?" Blossom rolled her eyes.

"My question is why?" Brick shook his head.

"I really shouldn't have to explain this to you. You're smart. You can figure it out. I bet, somewhere deep down, you know exactly why I've been so upset. You just don't want to say it. You know why? Because you're scared that it just might be true." Blossom sighed. What was he talking about? _Alright, Blossom, just take a step back and think. Think about everything up to this moment_. Blossom thought about everything they have been through ever since Brick came back. It was awkward. They had coffee. They talked about the past. Everything was good again. She didn't see an issue anywhere!

"I'm not seeing any problem." Brick growled, rubbing his hands down his face.

" _Jesus Christ_." Without warning, Brick stalked up to Blossom and grabbed each side of her face. He brought his head down and smashed his lips to hers. Blossom squeaked in surprise. Brick moved back to look at her. The Powerpuff's eyes were wide like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Wha… wha?" Brick smirked.

"You are the _dumbest_ smart person I have ever met." Blossom's face broke out into a small smile.

"So?" Brick chuckled before moving his thumb across her bottom lip. Blossom grabbed his arms and looked deeply into his eyes. "This is how you felt about me, isn't it? After all this time?" Brick's smile dropped. He couldn't explain how much he felt for her.

"Always, Blossom. Always."

Brick claimed her lips once more and pushed Blossom back until she hit the half wall. He deepened the kiss, slightly pulling at her hair. Blossom moaned in his mouth and held him closer. Brick moved his hands from her face to the backs of her knees. He hoisted her up onto his waist and hugged her close. Blossom moaned once she felt the friction between them. Brick moved from the wall towards the couch. But, before he could set her down, Blossom spoke up.

"If we're gonna do this, I don't think the couch is the best idea." Brick chuckled and nodded.

What the hell was she doing? Why did she just let her sturdily built wall come crumbling down? She asked herself these seemingly important questions, but deep down, she knew why. It was Brick. The guy that she had a crush on since their junior year of high school. She remembered all of the dreams she would have about him. All of the thoughts that played in her head about how they would start going out. It was all so overwhelming! Now, after all this time, Blossom wanted to break free of the resistance. She _needed_ to break free. For just this moment, she felt totally alive.

They kissed each other all the way up the stairs. Blossom couldn't get enough of the way he tasted. It was intoxicating. Brick kicked open his bedroom door with his foot. Once they were inside, he kicked it closed once more.

The two fell onto his large bed, still attached at the mouth. Blossom grabbed his snapback and threw it off of his head. She ran her hands through his red waves happily. She loved his new haircut. Brick pushed her up to the many pillows, making sure she was comfortable. He lifted up her sweater and leaned down in between her legs to kiss at her belly. Blossom felt his kisses lower down to the hem of her leggings. Brick smirked and tugged at her leggings. Blossom knew what he wanted.

Blossom sat up and pulled her sweater up over her head. Brick sat up to help her. Once it was completely off, Brick threw it to the floor. He glanced down at her chest and marveled at the red lace bra she wore. He smirked.

"For some reason, I feel like this bra is for me." Blossom smiled.

"I guess it was the perfect day to wear it." She leaned up and placed a kiss on his neck. She grabbed at his shirt and tugged. Brick lifted his arms and grabbed the back of his shirt to help her pull it off. Blossom threw the piece of clothing to the floor, not caring where it landed.

The Powerpuff placed her hands on his chest. It was like a piece of fine art. He was unimaginably chiseled. The military really worked him out. She didn't remember him being this big when they were in high school. She even liked the light hairs on his chest. Even though she loathed the societal norm of what makes a man, she couldn't help but like how manly it made him look.

Brick gently pushed Blossom down into the mass of pillows behind her. He smirked before tugging at her leggings. Blossom's breath quickened. She had no idea what was running through his mind, but she was excited to find out. As he pulled down her leggings, Brick glanced at her.

"Has Vincent ever done something like this before?" he asked. Blossom looked up at him confused.

"Done what?" Brick's smirk deepened. He leaned down over her and whispered on her ear.

" _Eaten you out_." Blossom's eyes rolled to the back of her head. Partly because of his deep, husky voice whispering in her ear and partly because of what he implied.

"No. Well, once, b-but it wasn't… that good." Brick chuckled.

"Good." He sat back up and tugged her leggings off the rest way before grabbing her lacy, red panties. Blossom licked her lips in anticipation.

Brick pulled her underwear off and marveled at her. Her red curls sat gracefully around her very intimate parts. He placed a hand right over them and pressed down, watching the woman's reaction. Blossom's eyes fluttered closed and her mouth hung open slightly. Brick opened her legs before leaning down over her again.

The Rowdyruff kissed and sucked at Blossom's neck as he moved his hand over her wet folds. Blossom's breath hitched in her throat before she moaned out loud. Brick continued to moved his hand slowly up and down her. Before long, he pushed two of his fingers into her. Blossom gasped. She could feel the heat shoot through her. Brick quickened his motions, and the sweet sound of her wetness echoed throughout the room. His hand moved quickly as his fingers entered and exited her, bringing her pleasure. He leaned up to her ear and moaned with her, taking it all in.

Blossom grabbed his hair. Her moans and purrs grew louder and more intense. The heat coiling in her belly became more prominent. She was close to coming undone. But, before she could reach that high, Brick slowed his movements. He pulled his fingers out of her, giving her one last kiss on her throat. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and sucked them clean. Blossom couldn't help but blush. Vincent definitely never did that.

Brick slid down the bed so that his face was right up to her curls. Blossom mentally prepared herself and glanced down at the man. Brick smirked up at her before moving her curls out of the way, opening her up. He parted his lips and ran his warm tongue from her opening to the swollen nub above it. Blossom's eyes screwed shut. Brick did it once more, and Blossom moaned loudly, throwing her head back. Brick continued to slowly work his mouth over her, bringing her ship loads of pleasure shooting up her spine. Blossom arched her back and pushed herself harder onto his mouth. She grabbed the pillows above her head and moaned loudly.

"Oh, Brick! Fuck!" Brick smirked once more and continued to give her what she needed.

Blossom didn't know how much more she could take. With every movement of his tongue or suck from his lips, Blossom could feel herself become more undone. Her hips bucked under him, rubbing her core over his mouth. Brick could tell she was going to explode any moment now. He brought his lips over her and sucked. Hard. Blossom's eyes rolled to the back of her head and her mouth opened wide. Her voice was stuck in her throat. Brick smirked and sucked even harder. Blossom squeaked before moaning very dirty obscenities and his name loudly. Brick licked her down as she rode out her orgasm. Once she felt the pleasure escape her, Blossom fell heavily on the pillows. She felt like she ran several marathons. Brick licked his lips and sat up.

"So? How was that for your second time?" Blossom giggled.

"Ask me when I've regained consciousness…" Brick chuckled.

Blossom opened her tired eyes and pulled Brick down next to her. She smiled and snuggled into his chest. Brick smiled and pulled her close. Even though he was happy, he couldn't help but be concerned for the ultimate decision his counterpart had to make.

But, unbeknownst to the couple in bed, a figure stood in the corner of the room, smirking.

"Tisk, tisk, Blossom. That doesn't look like your boyfriend to me." The figure chuckled before disappearing from the room.

* * *

Bubbles opened the large front door and set her grocery bags down. Robin set hers down next to Bubbles's. Buttercup waltzed in, taking a bite out of her third donut. Bubbles placed her hands on her hips, annoyed.

"You know, you could help us with these bags." Buttercup swallowed before smiling at her sister.

"Can't, pregnant." With that, Buttercup bounced over to the couch with her donut bag in hand. Bubbles growled.

"You can't even use that excuse yet! You're not huge yet!" Robin giggled.

"It's okay, Bubbles. I'll help you." Robin closed the front door and stripped out of her coat and boots.

Blossom walked out of her room once she heard voices and glanced over the railing. She waved down at a snacking Buttercup.

"Hey, B.C." Buttercup waved back up at her.

"Sup, Leader Girl." She held up the bag of pastries. "Donut?" Blossom smiled.

"Sure!" She bounced down the stairs and plopped down on the couch next to her sister. She grabbed the bag and pulled out a donut with pink icing and sprinkles on top. She set the bag down on the coffee table before glancing around the room.

"Where are the guys?"

"They went to go get us a tree. Well, a fake one. Said it would be too much work to go out and find a perfect real one. Plus, Bubbles was pretty against it." Blossom giggled. Bubbles just _had_ to play devil's advocate for nature.

"Of course she did. Did they have any luck on where to find one?" Buttercup nodded.

"Yeah, they dropped us off before the left to go find the place." She stuffed the rest of her donut in her mouth before brushing her hands together. "Anyway, did you get Brick to calm down? Vince told me you had a fight." Blossom swallowed her donut harshly. Not only did she get him to calm down, but she also got in bed with him. But she couldn't say all that. Right? Especially not to Buttercup. Right? Maybe she could. Maybe her being pregnant changed her a bit. There was only one way to find out.

"Yo, Bloss! Are you okay?" Buttercup snapped her fingers in front of her sister's face. Blossom blinked a few times before staring up at Buttercup.

"Hey, um… can I…? You know what? Never mind." Blossom stood up from the couch and walked into the kitchen. Buttercup rolled her eyes and glanced back at the large TV.

"Yeah, great talk."

Blossom sat on one of the bar stools and watched her sister and best friend scatter around the kitchen, placing food away.

"Hey, Bloss," Bubbles greeted with a smile. "What's up? Did you ever get Brick to calm down?" Blossom nodded.

"Uh, yeah, I think I did." She couldn't bring herself to look at Bubbles in the eyes. Bubbles frowned slightly and walked over to her.

"Are you alright, Bloss? You look a little distressed." Blossom snorted and waved her hand.

"I'm just a little tired. And kind of hungry. Do you plan on making dinner?" she asked, quickly changing the subject. It seemed to work since Bubbles's bubbly grin was placed back on her lips.

"I'm making lasagna! Remember the recipe grandma gave us? I think it wouldn't hurt to attempt to replicate it. Then I'm gonna bake some cookies. I think it'll be fitting since the guys are coming back with our tree." Bubbles bounced away and pulled out the ingredients for the dish before opening her phone. She tapped on her notes tab and pulled up the recipe for the lasagna. Robin walked over to Blossom and set a hand on her shoulder.

"You sure you're alright, Bloss? You _do_ look a little pale." Blossom placed a strained grin on her lips.

"I'm fine, Robin, really! Don't worry about me." Robin sighed with a nod.

"Okay. If you need to talk, just give me a shout." Blossom stuck up her thumb.

"Roger that, Tweety Bird!" Robin grimaced.

"I hate it when you call me that." Blossom giggled and jumped off of the bar stool.

Just as she exited the kitchen, Blossom heard the front door opening. Mitch and Vincent walked in with armloads of bags. They kicked off their boots before quickly shuffling off to the large windows overlooking the snowy terrain below. They set down the bags, and Mitch called out towards the door.

"Alright, guys, you can bring it in!" Butch backed in slowly, holding one side of a very long box.

"You got it, Boomer?" Boomer nodded.

"Yeah, just careful when you get near the stairs." Butch continued to back himself into the cabin.

He stopped once he hit the entranceway and kicked off his boots. He backed up further to let Boomer come inside and get rid of his boots. Once they were in their socks, Butch continued to back up until they hit the corner of the living room, by the windows. The two brothers simultaneously sat down the box on the carpeted floor. Mitch volunteered to go back out and park the van properly.

Vincent turned and shrugged off his coat, as did Butch and Boomer. He waltzed up to Blossom and gave her a peck on her cheek.

"Sup, babe. Did you handle Brick's little tantrum?" Blossom rolled her eyes.

"Why do we have to talk about Brick all of the goddamned time?" Vincent looked taken aback by her sudden outburst.

"Babe, I was just asking. I'm guessing it went pretty poorly then." Blossom sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No, I'm sorry. It went pretty well. I'm just… kind of tired right now." Vincent leaned down and kissed her on her lips.

"It's okay. It must have been exhausting to calm him down. He's a pretty infuriating hot head if I remember right."

"Awe, Vince. And here I thought we were pals." Vincent jumped before whipping around to face an aggravated Brick. Vincent's eyes widened before he cleared his throat.

"Well, that's just what Blossom told me about you. Back when we first started _dating_." Blossom could feel the tension rise between the two.

"Vincent, please," she warned. Bubbles and Robin stopped their cooking to peek out from the kitchen at the current confrontation. Brick snickered.

"If you know _so_ much about her, you would know that Blossom loves her secrets. There's a lot she hasn't told you. Too bad you weren't dating back in high school. Of course, I probably know her better than you do. We did grow up together after all." Brick's face broke out into a smug grin. He turned around and strutted off back towards the stairs.

"At least I get to fuck her…" Brick's smiled dropped from his face, and he whipped back around. He seemed to grow twice in size as he stomped dangerously back towards Vincent. Butch and Boomer ran up to their raging brother and pushed their weight on him. They had to used their combined strength and then some just to get Brick to stop. Vincent puffed out his chest like he wasn't the slightest bit afraid. However, he was very grateful that Butch and Boomer kept the red Rowdyruff at bay.

"Brick, come on, stop it!" Boomer scolded. "It's not worth it. We're here to have fun, not to beat each other up. Just let it go." Brick snarled before shoving his brothers off of him. He glared at Vincent once more then retreated up the stairs. He entered his room and slammed it shut causing the sound to echo throughout the cabin.

"Well, that went well!" Buttercup commented from the couch with a grin.

* * *

Bubbles and Robin finished dinner not too long after the confrontation between Brick and Vincent. Bubbles called everyone to the large dining table in the kitchen. Once everyone sat down, the conversation was quite limited. Brick was still heated after what happened, and Vincent kept peering at him as if Brick was going to lunge and attack him. Butch and Boomer couldn't help but keep an eye on their brother, and Blossom was upset more at Vincent than anyone else.

Once dinner was over, Blossom decided that she needed a nice, hot bubble bath. It was well after eight o'clock, and Robin suggested that they start putting up the tree. Mitch, Boomer, and Bubbles all agreed and began to tear open the boxes of lights, ornaments, and tinsel. Butch sat down and cut away at the box that held the artificial tree. Brick, after some convincing, decided to chip in.

Blossom brushed past Vincent and stomped her way upstairs. Vincent could tell that he did something wrong. She would give him the silent treatment whenever she was mad at him. He sighed before following her up to their room. Vincent pushed open the door and shut it behind him. He caught sight of his girlfriend shuffling through her luggage for her bath soaps.

"Bloss, you okay?" Blossom huffed as she pulled out her cotton candy pink bath bombs. She turned to him and placed a hand on her hip.

"No, Vincent, I am not okay." Vincent scratched the back of his head.

"Was it something I said?" Blossom scoffed bitterly.

"Don't play dumb, Vincent. Of course it's because of what you said! You treated me like some sort of object! A trophy that you can brag to other guys about! 'At least I get to fuck her?' Are you kidding me with that shit?!" Vincent sighed, feeling even worse than he did before.

"You're right, you're right. I should've never said that. It was childish."

"You're damn right it was childish! Now, I am going to go take a nice bath so I can relax after this exhausting day. I don't need any company, so if you would be so kind as to leave, Vincent. Go help with the tree or something." With that, Blossom turned on her heel and entered the large bathroom with her toiletries in hand.

Just as Vincent was about to leave, the air suddenly fell cold. He reached the door before turning around. Was a window opened, and he just didn't notice?

" _She can be so uptight, can't she?_ " a voice whispered from the shadows. Vincent glanced around the room to see who was speaking. He was alone. Suddenly, a figure appeared in the corner of the room. Vincent jumped back and hit the wall behind him.

"She can really be one hell of a stick in the mud, can't she?" the figure snickered. "I mean, you were just telling the truth." Vincent's mouth opened and closed before he could find his voice.

"W-who are you? H-how did you get in here?" The figure moved from the shadowy portion of the room and stepped up to Vincent with a sweet smile on his face.

"My name's Jessie. It's nice to meet you, Vincent!" Vincent stared at the man in front of him. He suddenly jumped when he heard Blossom's music switch loudly on. He glanced back at the smiling man in front of him looking more confused than afraid.

"Wha…? How do you know my name?" Jessie giggled.

"I've been watching you for a while now, Vince. Now, enough about me; let's talk about you and Blossom. She didn't like the way you were speaking about her. Maybe she was just overreacting. I mean, it's not your fault that she decided to get into a relationship with you. And relationships come with physical contact. Brick has to understand his boundaries. You got to Blossom first! He lost his chance a long time ago." Vincent couldn't stop staring into the man's hypnotic eyes. Every shade of red and pink could be seen dancing around. It almost felt like they were speaking to him.

"Yes… he overstepped his boundaries…" Jessie grinned. His new power worked after all.

"You're the top dog now. You're the alpha male! Blossom belongs to you. She's yours to keep, and you'll be damned if you let her escape." Vincent was lost in Jessie's words. His eyes glazed over, and he couldn't move an inch.

"Let her escape…"

"You need to show her that you're in charge. You call the shots now. If she gets out of line, just give her a good smack. Or a punch, if you'd like. She'll soon get the message, and she'll have no choice but to love you for it." Vincent nodded slowly.

"She'll… love me for it…" Jessie placed a hand on Vincent's chest.

"Now, since a mere knock from you won't hurt her, I'm going to give you some boosted strength. Just to make sure she really gets the message." A bright glowing red light blazed for Jessie's hand onto Vincent's chest. After it faded, Jessie grinned and moved his hand away.

"You are going to hurt her as much as she's hurt me. Before I forget, I can't have you remembering this little meeting, but I'll keep the brute force idea planted in your mind, just to be sure." Jessie lifted two of his fingers and placed them on Vincent's forehead. This time, a bright yellowish green light escaped from his fingers onto Vincent's forehead, seeping into his mind. Vincent's head fell back onto the wall. Jessie stepped back and waved at the other brunette.

"See ya, Vince! I'm sure we'll be seeing each other soon!" With one final wave, Jessie disappeared into oblivion once again. After he vanished, Vincent's eyes became unglazed. He winced and clutched his forehead. What just happened? He grabbed the door handle and swiftly opened the door before exiting.

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel anger boiling inside him. Like he wanted to hurt someone. Badly. But the strangest part was that there was only one person he really wanted to hurt.

His own girlfriend.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Well, this chapter got a whole lot interesting. I didn't expect it to get so dirty so quickly. I was actually going to save their first sexual encounter a few chapters from now. But, hey, what are you gonna do? I'm sure many of you have been waiting for this! But, they have not done the big do just yet, lol. That will be coming after bounds of drama.**

 **Speaking of drama, that seems to be Jessie's new middle name. Everyone he touches is infected with his drama rays! What he did to Vincent is only the beginning. After they have their holiday, home is not going to be any safer. But, more on that later!**

 **So, I hope you all have a great day, evening, or night, and I will see ya'll later!**

 **Bye!**

 _ **~TheRedWolf**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Time**

 **Part 2: Metamorphose**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

* * *

As the days passed, the group of adults made it through the holidays without much of a hitch. When the day came, they all gathered around the brightly colored tree and opened gifts that they bought for each other. Bubbles made a special Christmas dinner for them to enjoy while it snowed. During the day, they played like children outside, having massive snowball fights and making snow angels. They built forts and towers made out of the ice from the body of water close by. Once they were tired enough, they all ran back in, turned on the heat, snuggled into some thick blankets, and watched Christmas specials on TV as they drank steaming hot chocolate.

Not only did the holiday go by nicely, but also New Year's. The group all dressed to impress and piled into the large van to drive down to the nearest bar. They all consumed several drinks, waiting for the ball to drop on the small TV in the corner of the bar area. When it was time, they all grouped around the TV and counted down as the large silver ball slowly fell to the ground. It exploded into shimmering confetti, and the patrons in the bar all cheered, laughing and smiling at one another, wishing them a "Happy New Year."

Soon, the group had to pack up and head home once more. They all checked out on the first of January and made the quick bus ride back to the airport. Luckily, it would only take them a short time to get back to Townsville. They were unimaginably exhausted from their trip and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep for at least half of the new year.

Once they made it back into town, the drive back to their homes was quick and easy. Boomer and Brick were dropped off by Mitch and Robin. Boomer said his goodbyes to Bubbles, who was in the seat next to him, and grabbed his luggage from the trunk. Brick helped him with his before moving on to his own. Once Brick closed the trunk door, the two brothers sluggishly walked up to Boomer's front door. Mitch honked the horn before driving down the road towards Bubbles' place. Boomer and Brick waved before Boomer took out his keys and unlocked the front door. He opened the cool, empty house and dragged his bags in from the snowy outside. Once they were both inside, Boomer shut and locked the door behind him and sighed. It was good to be home. Boomer kicked off his boots and hung up his coat before rolling up his light blue sweater sleeves (it was a beautiful gift Bubbles got him for Christmas) and grabbed his bags, trudging up the stairs to his room. Brick followed suit and delicately unwrapped the red and black scarf that Blossom got him from around his neck and neatly folded it before tucking it in the closet next to the front door.

Just then, a white, fluffy mass entered from the slightly open back door. Sasha wiped her paws on the rug below before shaking the snowflakes from her fur. Brick glanced up and smiled at the dog. Sasha spotted him, and her tongue instantly lolled out of her mouth in a happy grin. She trotted up to the redhead and yipped in joy. Brick held out his hand as Sasha licked and nipped at his fingers.

"Hey there, girl. How've ya been, huh?" Sasha whined happily before the thumping of Boomer's heavy footsteps trailed down the carpeted stairs. Boomer grinned as he caught sight of his beloved pup and rushed down the stairs before literally jumping on his dog with a grin.

"Sasha! I'm so glad to see you!" Sasha barked playfully and circled around, trying to lick her owner who still clutched tightly onto her back. The dog stopped trotting in a circle and decided to shake Boomer off. With one good fluff of her fur, Boomer tumbled down to the floor. Sasha jumped over him and lovingly licked him all over his face. Boomer laughed with his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to get the enormous dog to stop. When she was satisfied by her deadly licks, Sasha backed away and sat gracefully on her hind legs. Boomer wiped his face with the sleeve of his sweater and groaned playfully.

"I guess she missed you too, Boomer." Brick chuckled. Boomer smiled and hoisted himself up from the floor.

"You want something to eat? I'm pretty starved after that plane ride." Brick nodded in agreement.

"Sure." Boomer walked into the kitchen with Sasha at his heels and opened the fridge. He glanced in and frowned, suddenly realizing that he desperately needed to go shopping. He closed the fridge back up and walked upstairs to Brick's room. He stopped right in front of his brother's closed door and knocked.

"Hey, Brick? I'm going out to get food. Do you want me to bring you back anything?" Boomer waited for a reply but none came. He knocked again. "Brick? You in there?" Boomer grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. He glanced around the dark room and saw his brother lying face down on his bed, sound asleep. Soft snores could be heard from the redhead with every deep breath he took.

Boomer smiled and walked into the room carefully. He grabbed a thick, black blanket that was sitting folded on a chair and moved to Brick's bed. Boomer unfolded the blanket and threw it over his older brother in one graceful swoop. He made sure the blanket covered Brick completely before grabbing Brick's red snapback and gently tugging it off of his head before hanging it on the post of his bed. Boomer glanced down at Brick's sleeping form with his head cocked to the side and folded his arms with a shake of his head. He smirked.

"Good-for-nothing lazybones." Boomer chuckled and exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. He glanced down at Sasha who was sitting patiently in the middle of the hallway. "Well, I'll be back, girl. Watch out for Brick for me." Sasha yipped in understanding, and Boomer jogged down the stairs to the front door. He grabbed his coat and hat before grabbing his keys and phone off of the table. He placed them in his pocket and exited the house, locking the door behind him.

* * *

Boomer walked up and down the aisles, grabbing different boxes and cans before stuffing them into his cart. He stopped in the middle of the cookies and chips aisle, keeping his hands on his cart. He slowly pushed the cart while he looked for the cookies Brick liked. Suddenly, something else smashed right into the front of his cart. Boomer looked up and saw a very familiar brunette smile back at him.

"Boomer, we really need to stop running into each other like this. Literally. I think we're cursed." Jessie laughed with a smile. Boomer chuckled and moved away from his cart. He opened his arms wide, and Jessie entered them with slight hesitation. He still didn't quite know how to react when Boomer was so nice to him.

"I'm guessing you went on some kind of trip then. I went over to your house, but you weren't there." Boomer nodded.

"Yeah, we all spent the holidays at this ski resort." Jessie smiled.

"Ooh, how was it, big guy?"

"It was great actually! Although, Vincent, Blossom's boyfriend, started acting kind of weird the last few days we were there. It carried on all till New Year's, too. It was strange. It was like he was pissed for no reason at all. He even got snappy with Blossom a few times. I've never seen him like that before." Boomer didn't notice the flash of red in Jessie's blue-hazel eyes or the twitch of a delighted smirk on his lips.

"Aw, that's too bad. I'm sure he's a nice guy. Too bad I haven't been able to meet him. Come to think of it, I haven't seen hide nor hare of _any_ of them. I'm sure they would be surprised to see me. Have you told them I moved back?"

"The only one I've told is Blossom. She was pretty surprised to hear. I guess I should've told everyone else, too. Sorry about that." Jessie waved his hand.

"It's no problem. It's just that…well, I just wish I could see them again. You know, for old time's sake. You all _did_ try to find me all of those years ago. It would be nice to finally put that case to rest with my appearance, don't you think?" Boomer seemed to think Jessie's statement over. Getting him to actually see everyone else would bring some closure. Boomer's face brightened.

"Hey, what if you come over for dinner? Yeah, I can invite everyone over and reintroduce you to them. I'm sure they'll love it!" Boomer's brows furrowed. "Hmm, but that would require me to hide you away from Brick for a couple of hours. I want you to be there before everyone else arrives. I guess I'll just have to stow you away in my room or something." Jessie chuckled.

"Sounds like fun!" Boomer smiled, loving the sound of Jessie's laugh.

"After I get everyone in one room, I'll bring you down so they can all see you again. Yeah, this'll be perfect!" Jessie grinned.

"Let's do it, then. Tomorrow, six o'clock. If that works for you." Boomer nodded.

"It sure is! Oh man, I have to get home, think about what I'm going to make for dinner." He reached up and grabbed two boxes of cookies from the shelves and threw them into his cart. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Jessie. I'll call you when I'm ready for you, okay?" Jessie gave him a thumbs up.

"Gotcha." Boomer grabbed his cart and pushed it around the brunette.

"See you then, Jess!" Jessie waved before crossing his arms over his chest.

"This will be _perfect_ …" he smirked with a hum of amusement. "Just perfect."

* * *

"Okay, Blossom, just calm down for me, okay?" Blossom shoved the ice away from her sister's hand. The towel flew from Bubbles' fingers, and the ice tumbled to the floor, clanking on the hardwood.

"Don't you get it? HE _**FUCKING**_ HIT ME, AND IT _**FUCKING**_ HURT! How is that possible!? Why would he just _**hit**_ me like that!? _**Why**_?" Blossom shoved her wet face into her hands and sobs continued to wrack her body. Bubbles rubbed her sister's arms and went to go pick up the ice before it melted away. Bubbles placed the ice back into the cold towel and returned to her hysterical sister who sat on a stool in the kitchen. Blossom slammed her head down onto the island top and sobbed louder.

"Blossom, please, if you don't let me put this ice on your eye, the bruising is just going to get worse." Blossom sniffed and tried to calm down her sobbing hiccups. She lifted her head slowly and placed her forehead in the palm of her hand. She wiped the tear streaks from her cheeks and looked up at her sister. Bubbles sighed once she saw the bruising around her sister's left eye. The bruise was an ugly and violent purple and blue color. She wondered what would've set someone as gentle as Vincent off to do something like this to her sister. And how could a normal human like him hit her hard enough to bruise her?

Bubbles lifted the towel and placed it carefully over Blossom's black eye. Blossom hissed once the icy coolness came into contact with the sensitive skin.

"Why would he _**do**_ something like this? _**How**_ could have he done something like this? I just don't understand." Bubbles hated how her strong older sister looked so helpless. She debated whether or not to call Brick right at that moment. The two sat in silence as the crickets chirped their nighttime song outside in the bushes and grass. Bubbles took the towel away from Blossom's face and set it down on the island top.

"What exactly happened, Bloss? You never really told me the details." Blossom sniffed once more before she huffed, grabbing at her hair.

"We were talking about dinner. He started to get loud, and that caused me to get loud. It got heated and, before I knew it, I was sprawled out on the kitchen floor with my eye in incredible pain. He punched me right across the face. I yelled at him to never touch me like that again, and I left. I didn't even take the car. I just got up and flew here." Bubbles nodded and placed the towel back on Blossom's eye.

"Well, if you want to stay the night, you're welcome to. Just let me get the guest room situated for you. It'll only take a minute." Blossom nodded and grabbed the towel from Bubbles' hand. Bubbles trotted up the stairs to the guest bedroom and turned out the bed for her sister. Once she was done, Bubbles jogged back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"You want something to eat? I made mashed potatoes and chicken if you want some." Blossom nodded.

"Sure, but only a little bit. I'm not that hungry." Bubbles pulled out the food from the fridge and grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets. She placed the food on the plate before popping open the microwave.

"You know, you do have the option of calling Brick." Blossom scoffed.

"And have him go full fledged super-powered neanderthal on Vincent? Yeah, no thank you." Bubbles leaned on the island top.

"Blossom, if Vincent hit you once, who's to say he won't do it again? Things like this only get worse. I think you should call Brick, have him rough Vincent up a bit. I'm sure a big guy like Brick could scare some sense back into Vincent." Blossom shook her head.

"That's only going to end in disaster. I can handle myself. I don't need Brick's help." The microwave beeped sharply at them. Bubbles turned towards the microwave and opened it carefully, grabbing the steaming plate. She got a fork from the drawer and placed it on the plate.

"Fine, but just think about it, okay? For my sake." Bubbles placed the plate in front of her sister. Blossom agreed and set the towel down before picking up the fork and digging into her food.

Bubbles decided to leave Blossom to her thoughts and retreated into the living room. She plopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote, clicking on the television. Just as she got settled in, her phone buzzed. Bubbles reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. She clicked the speak button and lifted the phone to her ear.

"Hey, Boomer."

" _Hey, what's up, Bubs?_ " Bubbles turned down the volume to the TV before responding.

"Oh, nothing. Blossom and I just decided to have a sleepover. What's up with you? You're calling kind of late."

" _Yeah, I know. I just wanted to ask if you were up for dinner tomorrow._ " Bubbles perked up. Dinner? With Boomer? How long had it been? She knew she was over him and their whole situation, but the prospect of spending quality time with him sparked up some past feelings within her.

"Dinner? Sure, why not? What time?"

" _Around seven would be great._ " Bubbles' excitement grew.

"Cool! And where would we have said dinner?" Boomer chuckled.

" _My place._ " Bubbles' lips twitched up into a smile. It was going to be just like old times!

"Awesome! I'll be there."

" _Great! Oh, could you ask if Blossom wants to come, too?_ " Bubbles' smile instantly deflated.

"Blossom?" she asked.

" _Well, yeah. I called Butch and Buttercup, and they said they would come. I would've called Blossom, but since she's there with you, I thought maybe you could do it._ " The spark within her immediately snuffed itself out.

 _Oh, so it's a family dinner. I guess it won't be like old times…_

"Uh, yeah, I can ask. Just… give me a second." Bubbles held the phone to her shoulder and lifted herself off of the couch. She crossed the hall and poked her head into the kitchen. "Hey, Bloss, Boomer wants to know if you're up for dinner tomorrow. It's at seven." Blossom set down her fork and glanced up at her sister with tired eyes.

"Does he want Vincent there?" Bubbles lifted the phone and asked Boomer if he wanted Blossom's boyfriend to come along. After she got her answer, she looked back to the redhead.

"He said it would be nice if he came, yeah." Blossom huffed and closed her eyes, looking utterly defeated. She rubbed her forehead with her hand before looking up at Bubbles.

"Fine. Tell him we'll be there." Bubbles nodded and put the phone back to her ear as she trotted back to the living room.

"Blossom said that her and Vincent will be there."

"Great! Well, I'll see you tomorrow then. See ya, Bubs!" Bubbles sighed and pulled the phone away from her ear, shutting it off. Things never seemed to go her way. And this dinner was only the icing on the cake.

* * *

Boomer sprayed a bit of cologne on his shirt before straightening himself out in the mirror. Suddenly, the doorbell rang from downstairs. Boomer smiled and rushed out of his room. He bolted down the hallway past Brick and jumped down the stairs.

"It's okay, Brick. I got it!" Brick rolled his eyes and went back into his room, shutting the door. Boomer skidded to a stop at the front door and opened it. Jessie was standing there with a bottle of red wine. The bottle had a bright, dark blue bow on the side of it.

"Hey, Boomer," Jessie greeted him with a wave. Boomer lifted his finger up to his lips.

"Come in quietly. Brick is upstairs, but, if we're quiet, I think I can sneak you up there. Ooh, is that wine? Thanks!" Boomer took the bottle before waving Jessie inside. Jessie unzipped his jacket and hung it up in the closet. Boomer went to the kitchen and set the bottle down next to the wine glasses.

"Okay, we have about an hour before everyone else gets here. Come on." Jessie followed Boomer carefully up to the blonde's room. He made sure his footsteps were light as they walked in front of Brick's door. Boomer opened up his door and ushered the brunette inside. Once they were both inside, Boomer let out a breath.

"Wow, not as messy as I thought it would be." Jessie walked around Boomer's room and marveled at how put together it was. Jessie blamed his mother for his soft side of interior decor. Boomer chuckled and placed his hands in the pocket of his jeans.

"Yeah, well, I try. You'll have to wait in here for a while. Sorry there isn't much for you to do in here, but you're welcome to read a few of my books." Boomer nodded his head towards the small shelf of books that was nailed to the wall above his desk. Jessie smiled with a nod.

"Thanks, Boomer." Boomer scratched the back of his head, trying hard to suppress his blushing. Jessie always seemed to know how to tug at his emotions. Even with the simplest of words.

"Well, I should get back downstairs. Hopefully Brick isn't down there yet. I'll come back for you after I've got everyone settled." Jessie agreed and picked a book up from the shelf. Boomer exited the room and closed the door behind him.

"Well, I'm in. All I have to do is wait. I wonder what kind of havoc I can cause in just one night." Jessie chuckled to himself before lounging back in the desk chair, opening the book up to a random page.

* * *

The living room was filled with the sound of hearty laughter from a joke Butch told. The group was all piled together in their best clothes with a glass of wine in their hands. The only one who had didn't drink was the pregnant Buttercup who took a can of cream soda over the wine.

Once the laughter died down, Boomer clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention.

"So, I have called you all here tonight with some very special news! There is someone upstairs who I want you all to meet." Brick lifted an eyebrow.

"Who's upstairs? I thought it was just us." Boomer's smile grew.

"I must be a great liar since I got this person upstairs and into my room without you noticing. They're still up there now, waiting for me to go get them." Buttercup chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"I'm guessing you can't give us any sort of hint then, Boomer?" The blonde Rowdyruff grinned.

"Nope! But I will bring them down. I'll be right back!" Boomer rushed from the living room upstairs to his room. He opened the door and found Jessie still in the desk chair with a small pile of books next to him.

"Are they ready for me yet?" Jessie asked, setting the book in his hands down on the desk. Boomer nodded.

"Yup, come on!" Jessie smiled and lifted himself before straightening his shirt. Boomer walked in front down the stairs and stopped before they entered the living room. He motioned with his hand and told Jessie to wait by the entrance. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce our guest of honor: Jessie Murdock!" Jessie stepped into the living room with a small smile. He timidly lifted his hand and waved to the stunned adults.

"Hey, guys…" Buttercup set her can down and stood up, staring at the brunette in front of her.

"Jessie?" The brunette chuckled.

"That's my name." Buttercup's stunned expression turned into one of complete joy. She rushed over to him and pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Oh my gosh! It's really you! How? Where have you been? Are you okay? Oh my gosh, Jessie!" Jessie chuckled and pried himself away.

"Calm down, Buttercup. I'm fine, really, I am. I just… lost my way is all." Buttercup smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you decided to come back to us." Blossom stood up with a smile and hugged Jessie tightly.

"It's great to see you, Jessie!" Blossom pulled away and suddenly took on a look of regret. "Uh, I kind of feel like you going missing is our fault. I'm really sorry we didn't act like actual friends to you." Jessie waved her off.

"Nonsense! Like I said, I just lost my way a bit. None of it is your fault whatsoever!" The brunette glanced down at Bubbles. His smile hid his boiling rage all too well, but Bubbles caught on anyway. She stared back at him with the same type of ferocity in her baby blue eyes. Jessie swallowed back the urge to beat her to a bloody pulp. He composed himself and glanced back up at Blossom. The brunette stared at Blossom's eye and honed in on it. He could see the slight discoloration under the makeup and smirked.

"What?" Blossom asked with a playful smile. Jessie shook his head and pulled Blossom in for another hug. Once the others greeted Jessie, they all sat down in the living room. Boomer poured Jessie a glass of the red wine and handed it to him.

As the conversations carried on, Jessie tuned them out. He eyed Vincent, who sat quietly, and saw the violent energy swirling around his head. Jessie smirked, loving the fact that his powers were strong. He glanced around the room to see if there was anything he could take advantage of. Suddenly, a tremor of energy caught his attention. Jessie focused on it. It was small and weak, like it was barely in the room. He glanced around the room to see if he could find the source of the energy. He soon found it right where Buttercup was sitting. He carefully stared at the raven head. He soon realized why it was coming from her. The stupid Powderpuff was pregnant! The little thing was only around two months developed. Now that he thought of it, Buttercup's midsection _did_ look a bit more bloated than usual, but that could have just been because of the large jacket she was wearing.

 _Hmm, I wonder…?_ Jessie slightly lifted his hand from his lap and built up a small force of dark energy that only he could see. He flicked it towards Buttercup's belly and did it again and again. The small source of energy began to slightly dim. He knew it would take more to kill it off. It was basically a super baby. But Jessie didn't care. Every little bit counted. Jessie flicked the dark energy once more before Buttercup hissed and clutched her stomach. Jessie quickly set down his hand and glanced back to the conversation at hand.

"You alright, Kitten?" Butch asked the woman beside him. Buttercup swallowed and waved her hand with a smile.

"I'm fine. Probably just a cramp." Butch grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips. He planted a tender kiss on it before pulling her close to his chest. Jessie sneered in disgust. How could their siblings stand it? It was gross! And that stupid bitch interrupted his work. Jessie smirked. No worries; once these long months were close to over, he'd be able to really give it everything he's got.

"Alright, I think we've all talked for long enough. Who's up for some dinner?" Boomer stood up and led the way towards the kitchen for the food that he recently prepared.

* * *

After dinner was over, the group sat around the table, chatting with one another. Jessie sat next to Boomer and tried to keep the blonde's attention all on him. To his knowledge and delight, Bubbles hated this. She was on the other side of the table playing around with her untouched scraps of food as Jessie and Boomer laughed without her. She knew what Jessie was doing. And it was working.

Ever since that day her phone cut out to his voice, Bubbles had been suspicious of Jessie. She was scared that HIM was going to come out of the nether just to slaughter them all at Jessie's command. She had a feeling HIM wasn't as powerful anymore and needed Jessie to do his dirty work. Bubbles knew that the whole friendly neighbor act that Jessie was pulling was just that: an act. He was playing them. Bubbles needed to tell Boomer what she knew, but how? She knew how important Jessie was in Boomer's eyes. They had a very special connection during high school, and Boomer rarely got out of bed when Jessie turned up missing. She was even sure that there were things that Boomer has told Jessie and only Jessie. Even when she and Boomer were dating. That's what really stung.

"Hey, Bloss are you okay? You've been touching your eye for a while now. Is it bothering you?" Bubbles and Blossom had the same look of fear etched onto their faces. Blossom awkwardly pushed a few strands of loose hair behind her ear before clearing her throat.

"What do you mean? I feel fine, I swear." Jessie squinted his eyes and leaned into the table.

"Your eye just looks kind of discolored. Are you sure you're okay? It kind of seems like you got punched in the face." Suddenly, the whole table quieted down. Blossom gulped and timidly glanced at all of the eyes staring right back at her.

"Punched in the face? You sure you're okay, Red? Run into a monster or something?" Brick asked with concern laced in his voice.

"I-I'm fine. I swear… it's nothing real-" Jessie turned to Vincent.

"Look, I know that couples have their spats, but hitting is really a big no-no." Vincent's eyes stared off into nothingness.

As everyone was waiting for an answer, Vincent suddenly stood from his chair. Before he could speak, Vincent's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he collapsed to the floor with a thud. His body began to convulse and shake as frothy white foam exited his lips. The others gasped at the state he was in. Blossom quickly moved to his side and held him down with her arms. Vincent was having a seizure.

"Oh god, Vincent! What's wrong, baby, what's wrong?! Somebody, please help!" Brick rushed over to the other side of Vincent's violently shaking body. Even though he never really liked him, Brick had to go into leader mode if he wanted to save Vincent's life.

"Butch, call 9-1-1!" Brick commanded his brother. Butch quickly rushed to the living room and picked up the home phone, dialing the emergency number. "Blossom, flip him over to his left side. If he decides to heave up dinner he won't be able to choke on it." Blossom carefully moved Vincent's body to the left side. Butch jogged back to the dining room.

"An ambulance is on its way." Brick nodded.

"Great. Hey Bubbles, see if you can help. You have healing powers right?" Bubbles shook her head.

"That's actually more of Buttercup's thing." Brick glanced over to the stunned black haired woman.

"You think you could help out, BC?" Buttercup swallowed and nodded. She rushed over to Vincent. She lifted a shaky hand and placed it over Vincent's chest. A low, green glow emitted from her palm and seeped its way into his chest. Just as she pulled her hand away, Vincent opened his mouth, and a puddle of deep black liquid exited his mouth and onto Brick's arm. The redhead grimaced.

"Oooh, that's totally not gross." He looked down at the unconscious Vincent and slowly pulled his arms away. He'd stopped shaking. "Well, he'll be out for a while. At least he'll be going to a hospital."

After about ten minutes later, the sounds of sirens outside could be heard. The group rushed outside to greet them. Blossom and Buttercup stayed behind to keep an eye on Vincent. The paramedics pulled out a stretcher from the back of the ambulance and hauled it into the house. They pulled the unconscious Vincent onto the stretcher and placed an oxygen mask over his face to make sure he kept breathing properly. They quickly pulled Vincent from the house and into the ambulance. Blossom decided to hop in with him before the medics closed the doors. The rest of the group all decided to pile into their cars and follow along.

Once they were at the hospital, Blossom rushed alongside the stretcher into the hospital and ran to keep up with the doctors, leaving the others behind in the waiting room. Brick glanced down the hall and saw one of the doctors fighting with Blossom on whether or not she could come in. Brick ran after Blossom and gently grabbed her arms.

"I said let me in, goddamnit!" Brick pulled her away after apologizing to the doctor.

"Shh, it's alright, Red. Let the doctors do their job, yeah?" Blossom stumbled around, clutching herself. Brick rubbed her arms as he led her to the waiting room where the others all sat and waited for any type of news. Once everyone was settled, Butch growled lowly. His knee wouldn't cease its violent bouncing.

"Gah, I _**hate**_ hospitals!" Boomer glanced up at him.

"How come?" Butch looked towards his brother with a glum expression.

"It… brings back too many memories…" Buttercup placed a loving hand over his. Boomer sighed and glanced down at the floor, knowing exactly what he was talking about. Jessie scoffed and rolled his eyes.

" _Makes me wonder who's to blame for Boomer even being in here…_ " he said quietly.

"Jessie… please don't." Boomer frowned at the brunette beside him. Jessie sighed.

"Sorry." Bubbles could feel her agitation rise. How dare Jessie bring up something as painful as Boomer's hospitalization! It wasn't fair to his brothers and especially not fair to Boomer himself. He didn't need to be reminded of that time. Ever.

Bubbles got up from her spot next to Buttercup and sat on the other side of Boomer, much to Jessie's annoyance. She placed a gentle hand on Boomer's large bicep. She slowly rubbed his arm with the palm of her warm hand. Boomer glanced down at her and gave a lopsided smile. He placed his large hand over her knee in thanks. Bubbles scooted closer to him and snuggled up to his shoulder. Boomer lowered his head and touched his forehead to hers.

Jessie glanced over at the two's tender moment and sneered. But before he could say anything, the doctor walked up to them.

The doctor was a short woman with tired eyes. It seemed like her shift was longer than she expected. Her blue scrubs scrunched every time she took a step. Blossom shot out of her seat.

"Is Vincent okay?" The doctor smiled.

"Yes he is. Everything seems stable now." Blossom lifted a hand to her chest.

"Oh, thank goodness…"

"He's awake if you would like to go see him." That was all Blossom needed to hear. She quickly rushed past the doctor and into Vincent's room.

Jessie sneered. He guessed his power wasn't as powerful as he thought. If it could be wiped away with just a little "healing hand" from Buttercup, then he needed to work on his mistakes and improve himself for the future. He wanted, _needed,_ for the others to feel what he felt all of those years ago. They didn't deserve to be happy. None of them did. Not even the people associated with them! He needed to think bigger. Then, one day, they'd all be at his mercy, begging for the sweet release of death. And he'd be cruel to not oblige.

* * *

Blossom rang the doorbell to her sister's home. She stuffed her hands inside her jacket pockets as she waited for Bubbles to let her in. Just then, the blonde opened the door and ushered Blossom inside. She closed and locked the door behind the redhead.

"Hey, Bubbles. You sounded pretty upset over the phone. Are you alright?" Blossom removed her jacket and boots before placing a hand on Bubbles' elbow. Bubbles stared at the floor before moving away from the redhead. Blossom followed her with worry. She hoped that her sister wouldn't fall into a sudden seizure like her boyfriend did a week ago.

Suddenly, Bubbles clutched her face and harsh sobs exited her lips. She backed up to the wall and slid down to the floor. Blossom frowned at her sister's sudden burst of emotion and leaned down next to her.

"Oh, Bubbles, what's wrong?" Bubbles shuddered and sobbed harder into her sister's arms.

"I- I STILL… I STILL _**LOVE**_ HIM!" Blossom gasped slightly before pulling Bubbles closer to her chest. She knew it was only a matter of time.

"Oh, Bubbles… I know you do."

"I JU- I JUS… THOUGHT I COULD… I COULD… I CAN'T IGNORE- I CAN'T… I DON'T KNOW WHY… I DON'T… LIKE, I DON- _ **HUH**_!"

"Shh, Bubs, shh."

"I **LOVE** HIM, BLOSSOM! I LOVE HIM SO **MUCH**!"

Bubbles had it bottled inside for too long. It was only a matter of time before it all just spilled out.

* * *

 **Hey guys! So this chapter is actually the shortest chapter yet in this story. It may not feel like it, but I found that pretty interesting.**

 **Woah, Bubbles wants to ride the Boomer train again! All aboard for the Boomer train! Better hurry Bubs, Jessie won't take this lying down. Speaking of him, damn he basically almost killed Vincent and he's going after B.C and Butch's unborn child now! So, that's not good, as you all can imagine.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed! Oh and I checked the traffic for this story and it has over 1,000 views! That's insane guys, thank you! I can't believe over 1,000 of you all like this story. Thank you so much! But, I want you all to review, review, review! It's nice to have feedback. I live off of it! I need your validation to LIIIVE! Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter.**

 **Bye Guys!**

 **~ _TheRedWolf_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Time**

 **Part 2: Metamorphose**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

* * *

Buttercup hummed to herself as she turned the water on in the bathtub. Psylocke whined as she felt the warm water on her black paws. Buttercup giggled at her dog's opposition to her long overdue bath. The rambunctious dog loved to go out whenever it rained. The Powerpuff was reluctant at first, but soon was swayed by her dog's puppy dog eyes and led her down the stairs of the apartment into the thunder and lighting. So, in turn, the canine no longer smelled sweetly of daisies and roses. Buttercup twisted the knobs once the bath was full enough and turned off the water. She grabbed the soap and lathered Psylocke's fur with it.

Buttercup couldn't help but let her mind wander to her older sister. Blossom had been in something of a slump for the past two weeks. Ever since dinner at Boomer's, Vincent had been getting worse. Brick tried time and time again to comfort her, but Blossom was as stubborn as a mule. She vowed to be by Vincent's side 24/7.

None of the doctors knew what was wrong with him. They performed various tests involving the taking of his blood and numerous scans. The girls called the aging Professor in, and even he didn't know what was wrong with Vincent. He used his most advanced systems that he created in his lab to search Vincent's very brain and even the stem. Alas, he still had as little luck as the doctors did.

It was all so odd. Buttercup hoped that Vincent would be back on his feet soon enough. She shook her head. Why was she even thinking about this stuff when Psylocke was getting her bath? Buttercup sighed heavily, continuing to wash her companion. _I guess baths are a place for deep thought. Even if it involves washing someone else._

As she was washing her, Psylocke continued to whine in protest. Her perky ears dropped down flat on her head. She lowered her head and gently licked Buttercup's arms, giving her owner frequent puppy dog eyes. Buttercup smiled and shook her head.

"You're not getting out of this bath, girl. Nice try, though." Once Buttercup rinsed and repeated the process, she dried off her dog with a large towel.

Just then the doorbell rang. Buttercup sighed and left the towel on top of her dog. She stood up and jogged from the bathroom to the front door. She unlocked it and opened it up.

"I think I found a lot of good stuff, Kitten!" Butch held up the large bags in his hands for Buttercup to see. Brick stood right behind him with two more bags of his own. Buttercup opened the door wide, and the two brothers walked in. Butch kicked off his shoes and trotted into the living room.

"Butch, what is all of this? We talked about this. I thought you were just going to get a few things? This is far from a few." Butch chuckled and plopped the bags down with a thud on the floor.

"Just a little something for the little guy." Buttercup scoffed.

"How do you know it's going to be a boy?" Butch stood up straight and crossed his arms.

"See, us men have this little sixth sense. Just like how you have 'women's intuition.' We automatically know if we'll be having a son." Buttercup giggled and rolled her eyes.

"Right, uh-huh. So, since you know it's a boy, you decided to buy out half of the store?"

"Yeah, pretty much!" Brick chuckled and set his bags next to Butch's. He fixed his hat before turning to the two of them.

"Well, I should be off. See you two later then." Butch waved as Buttercup opened the door for Brick. Once he was gone, Buttercup walked back into the living room.

"I really appreciate you doing this, Butch. No matter how crazy it is, I'm glad you did it. Thank you." Butch smiled and walked up to Buttercup, pulling her in for a tender kiss.

"Anything for you, Kitten." Buttercup smiled.

"So," Buttercup sighed as she plopped herself down on the couch. Butch sat down beside her, placing his arm on the back of the couch. "What do you think we should do once the baby comes?" Butch glanced down at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked. Buttercup waved her arms around her, motioning to her home.

"This. Living in separate places. What do we do? I mean, I do have the baby room, but I don't want the baby to have to travel from one house to the other. I'd rather save that for when we get divorced." She placed a too sweet grin on her face. Butch chuckled.

"Well, we could always move in together. Get a nice two bedroom place in a good neighborhood. Did you want to stay in any place in particular?" Buttercup pursed her lips together in thought.

"I don't want to live too far from Professor and my sisters, that's for sure. And I know you don't want to be too far from your brothers or your mom. And we gotta stay close to Mojo!" Butch scrunched up his face in surprise.

" _You_ , out of all people, want to stay _close_ to _Mojo_?" Buttercup giggled, biting her lip.

"I know it sounds strange, but I find the thought of seeing Mojo trying to work out how to hold an actual baby pretty hilarious." Butch chuckled along with her. Mojo was never the fatherly type and seeing him with a squirming, whining baby in his furry arms would deal him some much needed justice. It'd be what he deserves for not being a parent to his three "sons." Buttercup snorted once more before leaning over into Butch's chest.

"You know I'm going to get fat, right? You'll probably not really want me anymore when I do." Butch placed a finger under her chin and gently tilted her head up. His emerald eyes locked with her bright, lime green ones.

"Don't play me like that. I'll always want you, Kitten. I still do." Buttercup shuddered at the deepness of his voice, the calm nature of his words. She licked her lips slowly, watching him eye her as she did.

"It's been a long time since we've…" Butch nodded.

"Oh, it's been _too long_." Butch brought his arms around her waist to pull her closer, pressing her up against him. Buttercup slid on top of his lap and grabbed a good portion of his hair. Just as things were beginning to get heavy, he suddenly broke the kiss. Buttercup's eyes fluttered open, and she looked down at him, worried that he was going to back out.

"It won't hurt the baby, will it?" Butch reached down and placed a hand on her growing belly. Buttercup giggled in relief.

"No, it won't. I promise. I've been… reading up on these things." Butch chuckled deeply before pulling his lover back towards him.

The two held on to each other, grabbing at each other's clothing. Butch kissed down Buttercup's neck and nibbled on the soft flesh just above her collarbone. Buttercup sighed in delight and tugged at the back of Butch's head. The Rowdyruff growled before gently pushing the Powerpuff on her back, into the soft fabric of the couch.

Buttercup could feel herself become more ravenous, more needy for him. She clawed at the hem of his shirt, pulling it up along his back. Butch lifted up his arms and broke the kiss to let Buttercup pull off his shirt. Once it was off, she threw it to another part of the room. Butch latched onto her mouth once more. He grabbed the back of her thighs and encouraged her to wrap them around his waist, which she did without a second thought.

Butch broke the kiss once more before staring up into Buttercup's eyes.

"Are you sure this won't hurt the baby?" Buttercup smiled.

"I'm positive, Butch." The Powerpuff kissed him once more before grabbing the zipper to his jeans. Once she unzipped them, Butch laid back in between her legs, kissing at her neck.

* * *

Bubbles paced around her room, eyeing the phone laying on her bed as she passed. She'd been like this for the past hour, going back and forth, contemplating whether or not to pick up the phone and call him. She wanted to see him again. Ever since she admitted to Blossom her true feelings for him, she's been a bigger mess than that day. Every waking moment was filled with fantasizing about him and how she hoped their relationship would flourish. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about him! Not that she really wanted to…

Bubbles suddenly stopped her pacing and faced her phone. She sighed heavily and grabbed the device off of her bed. She tapped on the contacts app and scrolled down the list of names until she got to his name. She tapped it again and the screen popped to a picture of his smiling face and bright, dark blue eyes. She blushed as she stared at that face, loving the wide smile he put on for her picture. Just as she was about to click the call button, Bubbles felt her stomach begin to grumble. She sighed, relieved that her own body was distracting her from the task at hand.

Bubbles placed the phone in her shorts pocket and trotted downstairs into the kitchen. She opened the fridge up and grabbed some of the leftover vegetarian BLTs she made the other night. She grabbed another plate and placed one of the sandwiches on it before placing it into the microwave.

As the microwave whirred loudly, Bubbles grabbed the phone once more. She opened it and stared at the picture of her counterpart. She felt her face burn hot as she stared at his smiling face. Every time she saw it, it sent a sudden shudder down her spine. She brought her hand up to click the call button, but suddenly the microwave beeped sharply at her. She closed the phone and pulled the sandwich out from the microwave. Bubbles grabbed a soda and headed into the living room. She clicked on the TV and chomped down on the sandwich.

She was done with it in a matter of moments. Mostly because she ate faster when her nerves were skyrocketing. The blonde pulled out her phone once more and opened it, repeating the process for the third time. She stared intently at his face before hanging her finger over his number. Just then, she heard the theme music from her favorite show begin to play. She threw her phone onto the coffee table and brought her knees up to her chin, rocking along to the beat of the music.

About half way into the episode, Bubbles glanced down at her phone. She grumbled and placed her face into her knees, berating herself for being such a chicken.

"God, Bubbles, don't be such a _**pussy**_! You've gotten by your _**whole**_ life with being a pussy! Time to _**break the mold**_!" She angrily snatched the phone up from the table and opened it up. She ignored Boomer's picture and fiercely tapped on the call button. Her face held fierce determination, and her posture straightened up. She held her shoulders back as she placed a fist on her waist. The phone rang once, twice before Boomer's voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"Hey, what's up, Bubbles?" he greeted.

" **HEYBOOMERIJUSTWANTEDTOSAYTHATWESHOULDGOOUTTOGETHERFORLUNCHSOIFYOUWANTTOJUSTSAYSO**!" There was a long silence between them before Boomer spoke up again.

"Uh… what?" Bubbles' fierce determination fizzled quicker than a fire being doused with a bucket of water. Her chest deflated, and she slouched deeply into the couch, feeling her old mousey self resurface.

"Uh… just… never mind, never mind. Just… forget I said anything. Who said something? Not me!" Boomer snorted.

"Alright then. You okay, Bubs? You seem a little jumpy. Even for you." Bubbles scoffed.

"Hey, what the hell does that mean, asshole?" Boomer chuckled loudly.

"Oh, nothing. So, what's up with you on this fine afternoon?" Bubbles sighed and laid back on the couch, forgetting her previous annoyance with his comment.

"Not much, really. Just been home all day."

"Yeah, me too. Brick is out, and Butch won't pick up his phone, so I'm here all by myself. Such an exciting life I lead!" Bubbles giggled and place her arm over her forehead.

"I guess we're both lost causes then." Boomer chuckled.

"Well, since we're both losers with no lives, why don't we be losers together?" Bubbles shot up, clutching the phone tighter.

"What, uh, what do you mean?" The blonde had to try extremely hard to keep her voice level and calm.

"Why don't we, I don't know, hang out? There's this new burger place that opened up down the street from me. Its right at the corner of your street. I'm sure you've seen it." Bubbles thought back and realized that he was right. There was a new burger restaurant right down the street. She didn't know why she hadn't gone there yet. Veggie burgers were her kryptonite.

"Sure! I mean, yeah, why not?" Boomer chuckled, hearing the clear excitement in her voice.

"Alright, why don't we meet up there in an hour? Is that good for you?" Bubbles nodded her head eagerly. She then realized that she was on the phone and decided to answer him.

"Yeah, yeah, that would be great."

"Okay, well then, I'll see you in an hour." Bubbles agreed before saying her goodbyes. She slowly lowered the phone and shut it off, placing it back on the coffee table.

"YES!" Bubbles threw her arms above her head and quickly floated up into the air before pinging off up to her room in a bright blue streak.

Suddenly, once she entered her room, Bubbles came to a halt when a sharp ringing invaded her hearing. It was high pitched and growing louder with each passing minute. Bubbles scrunched up her face and grabbed at her forehead. Where was it coming from? Then, just when she thought that her head was going to implode, it stopped. Completely stopped. Her home was silent once more.

The blonde glanced around her room and shivered, feeling some sort of negative energy around her. She couldn't place where it was coming from, but all she knew was that it was quite unpleasant.

Once she calmed herself down, the Powerpuff sighed with a smile and bounced her way into the bathroom. When Boomer saw her, she was going to look like an A class celebrity.

* * *

Blossom sat next to Vincent's hospital bed. An icy cold cup of untouched coffee sat on the side table next to her. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, and her clothes were disheveled and wrinkled from her overnight stay. Dark circles began to form under her eyes, a warning sign of the sleep deprivation she was experiencing with each night she tried to peacefully sleep at the hospital.

To her dismay, Vincent wasn't looking like he was going to get better any time soon. Whenever he was awake, their conversations were extremely limited. Only a few words were exchanged between the two. In those short talks, however, Vincent expressed regret about ever putting his hands to Blossom. He apologized over and over again, wheezing about how sorry he was. Blossom hushed him every time, not wanting him to strain his voice farther. Yet, in reality, she couldn't hear him say sorry. _She_ should be the one apologizing. Her fraternization with Brick only made her feel worse. She couldn't tell him, and yet, she had to. It wasn't fair to Vincent to go on believing that his girlfriend was still faithful to him. It just wasn't fair.

Blossom sighed and placed her hand over her sleeping boyfriend's. She couldn't help but to let her words spill from her lips.

"Vince, sweetheart, I'm so, _so_ sorry. I-I never should've done what I did with Brick. It was stupid and juvenile! I don't know what I ever saw in him, but all I know is that I'm with you now. Brick can't come between what we have. I may have had some sort of infatuation with him before, but now… I feel _nothing_. I promise." Even though he wasn't in any sort of coma, Blossom needed to get it out. It was bothering her ever since they left Utah.

Just then, the door to the small room clicked open, and a tall man clad in a red and black jacket walked in. He held a small, brown paper bag in his hand and made sure the door closed shut before walking up to Blossom's side. Blossom's regret turned into anger at the presence beside her.

"You shouldn't be here," she hissed. "I told you days ago that I didn't need your help, and nothing has changed now." Brick rolled his eyes and disregarded her warning.

"Here, you should eat something," Brick said, holding out the bag to her. Blossom glanced up at the bag that was shoved into her face before pushing it away.

"I'm not hungry, Brick." Brick sighed.

"You really need to eat, Bloss. You're starting to look like death." Blossom rubbed her forehead with her fingers.

"I said, I'm not hungry, Brick!" she snapped. Brick growled and threw the bag into her lap.

"Oh, for God's sake, just _**eat it**_ , Blossom!" Blossom jumped slightly at his raised voice. She looked up at him with glassy, tired eyes. Brick's harsh demeanor seemed to break away at her pathetic state. He sighed and pulled up one of the chairs next to her.

"You didn't have to yell…" Blossom mumbled. Brick placed a hand on her own with a sigh.

"I know, I'm sorry, Blossom." Blossom nodded before pulling her hand away from his grasp.

"I never thought I would be seeing him like this. No one even knows what the hell is wrong with him! Professor even ran some tests on him, and he _still_ can't place what's wrong with him. And Mojo helped! I just want him to get better." Brick glanced at Vincent. He stared at the man in the hospital bed; Blossom's voice seemed to drift farther away.

He noticed the dark circles under Vincent's eyes and the paleness of his skin. He even seemed like he had gotten smaller. The deep scowl on his sleeping face stayed planted onto Vincent's features. For some reason, Brick got a stinging feeling of familiarity, like he's seen this all before. _But where? Come on, Brick, think!_

Brick gasped. He knew exactly where he's seen this all before!

"Brick? Are you alright?" Brick glanced over to Blossom with a troubled look.

"Red, you're not going to like what I have to tell you." Blossom scooted closer to him, leaning to hear what he had to say.

"What is it?" Brick shook his head with a deep sigh. He looked up at the man in the bed before locking eyes with Blossom.

"I-I think I know what's wrong with Vincent."

* * *

"You want lunch?" Buttercup asked, wrapping one of Butch's button up shirts around her smaller form. Butch slipped on his dark jeans and let them hang down low on his waist.

"Sure, why not? After an hour of _that_ any normal man would be hungry." Buttercup scoffed and entered the kitchen. Butch followed after her, smirking.

"Yeah, well, you're no normal man, are you?" Butch laughed and sat in one of the bar stools. Buttercup leaned down and brought out her large cutting board and set it on the counter. Before she could reach for the fridge, a sharp pain shot through her belly. She groaned and clutched at her bump, leaning on the counter. Butch frowned and got up from his seat.

"You alright, Kitten?" Buttercup smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a small cramp is all." She reached out again for the fridge. Before she could open it, a large hand encased her wrist. Butch glanced down at her with a smile.

"I got this, Kit. You go sit down." Buttercup leaned up and placed a sweet kiss on his cheek before plopping herself down in the bar stool. Butch grabbed the ingredients for the pasta and set them on the counter in front of Buttercup. As he was chopping away at the tomatoes, Buttercup couldn't help but smile. The way he looked in the kitchen filled her mellow heart with joy. Maybe someday it would be a permanent thing…

"You know, you look quite nice being all domestic like that." Butch chuckled.

"I've had some cooking practice over the years, Kitten. I kind of like it. I bet it would be better if I do this every day for you… and for the little one." Buttercup's eyes widened. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"You mean, like in the 'till death do us part' type of way?" Butch looked up from his vegetables. His glowing eyes bore into hers.

"The whole nine yards, Kitten." Buttercup could feel a blush spread from her cheeks to her neck. She sighed, shaking her head with a lopsided smile.

"Wow. I never pegged you for the marriage type, babe. But, I think we should move in together before we decide to tie the ol' knot." Butch nodded and pulled out a large pot from under the counters and went over to the water jug to fill it up. He set it on top of the stove and turned on the heat.

"How about we go and look at a few houses, you and me? There are a few houses on Liberty Street. We could look there if you want. It's not too far from everyone else and closer to Pokey Oaks." Buttercup grinned, nodding vigorously.

"Okay! Let's do it!" The Powerpuff could feel her very being spark up in excitement. Moving in with Butch… finally. It was something she only saw in her dreams.

Butch placed the pasta boxes on the counters when his phone began to buzz in his pocket. He picked it up and saw Brick's face on his screen. He tapped the speak button and held the phone up to his ear.

"Sup, bro… No, I'm at Buttercup's… Why?... Woah, slow down, bro… Are you sure?... Okay, we're on our way." Butch placed the phone back in his pocket and turned off the heat on the stove.

"What's wrong?" Buttercup asked, noticing the troubled look on his face.

"Brick want us to come to the hospital." He quickly slipped on his shoes and jacket. Buttercup hopped out of the chair and followed.

"How come?" she asked.

"He thinks he knows what's wrong with Vincent."

* * *

Boomer walked into the new burger place and took a deep breath. He took off his light jacket and smoothed out his hair, pushing it back from his forehead. He glanced around the restaurant and found a nice, secluded table near the counter of the bar. Once he walked up to it, he set his jacket on the back of his chair and sat down.

His leg bounced continuously under the table, making his shoe tap against the clean, dark wood floor. Whatever Boomer did, he couldn't get his leg to stop its jittering. Nerves. Going on a date again after several years would make anyone nervous. He glanced down at his watch to check the time. 12:30. _Right on time_. Boomer always prided himself on being punctual.

As he was fidgeting around with a button on his cuff, a waitress walked up to him. Her heels clicked along the wood as she approached Boomer's table. Once she reached the table, she set down a menu and drawled out a greeting in a bored tone.

"Hello, welcome to Stacked. My name is Robin, and I will be your waitress for today." Boomer quickly glanced up at the woman next to him, and lo and behold, Robin Snyder was standing at the table.

"Robin?" Boomer asked, his lips twitching up into a smile. Robin looked down at him and gasped.

"Oh my god, Boomer? Holy shit! How are you?" She leaned down and opened her arms. Boomer hugged her tightly before chuckling, pulling away.

"I'm great, thanks. And you? How did you end up working at a place like this?" Robin's ecstatic look on her face dropped instantly and was replaced by a look of deep annoyance. She huffed and crossed her arms over her white button up dress shirt.

"My uncle owns this place. He offered me a job, and I thought it would be a great idea to boss people around. But, unfortunately, he didn't have me in mind to be Manager. So, here I am, stuck as a fucking waitress." Robin sighed and frowned. Boomer chuckled and shrugged.

"Well, does it pay well?" Robin uncrossing her arms and pulled a menu out from the pocket on her short green apron.

"No, not really, no. Not even a small perk. Here's your menu," she set the black leather on the table in front of Boomer. "Let me know when you're ready to order." The Rowdyruff nodded, and Robin walked away to the back of the restaurant.

Boomer decided to keep himself occupied and picked up the menu, flipping it open. There was a section for burgers, a section for fries, and a whole page full of different drinks, ranging from alcoholic to simple lemonade. After a minute of looking it over, the front door chimed as it opened. Bubbles stumbled in, slightly tripping over her own feet. She smoothed out her wavy blonde hair before glancing around the building to find her date. She quickly caught sight of his broad back near the counter of the bar. Bubbles smiled and forced her legs to move towards him.

"Hey, Boomer," she said as she rounded the table to the other side. Boomer jumped a bit before glancing up at his counterpart. He quickly stood up and moved towards her chair.

"Hey, Bubbles! Oh, here, let me get that for you." Boomer pulled out the wooden chair and motioned for Bubbles to sit. Bubbles blushed at his chivalry and held the back of her skirt before sitting down. Boomer returned to his seat and closed the menu up, pushing it away.

"This place is beautiful! I can't believe I've never been in here." Bubbles glanced around at the interior of the elegantly designed burger joint. "Pretty swanky for a burger place." Boomer nodded with a smile.

"I'm glad you came, Bubs. It's been awhile since we've done something like this." Bubbles nodded.

"Yeah, definitely. It's been way, _way_ too long if you ask me." Boomer agreed before the two fell into an awkward silence. Both didn't know how to approach the other. Going through a break up, not speaking to each other for a time, then having conversation only when the need arose took a toll on them. Nothing seemed to really feel as natural as it once was. But, for both blondes, their complicated history alone was enough to fill them with determination to strengthen their relationship again.

Bubbles decided to take the first step. Having lunch together should not be this difficult.

"You better not have ordered without me." Boomer chuckled deeply. He picked up the menu and handed it to her.

"And if I have?" Bubbles took the menu and opened it up.

"I would say I would have to kill you but, I don't think that would be such a good idea for a first date." Boomer smiled. First date. The words sounded foreign yet, very familiar. It reminded him of his high school days. When things seemed to be easier. Of course, they never really were.

As Bubbles ordered, Robin trotted back over with a small notepad in her hands with a pen. She grinned as she saw Bubbles sitting at the table with Boomer and quickly put two and two together. She took both of their food and drink orders and told them the food would be out soon. Once she left, Boomer and Bubbles continued to chat about numerous different topics. Ranging from the past to the present and even dabbled a bit into the future. They talked about movies, TV shows, debated about which character from a Marvel movie could beat the living shit out of a character from DC, and vice versa. As they waited, they became more and more comfortable with each other with each passing second. It was like they were in their own world.

"Oh, come on! Queen was way better than The Beatles," Boomer argued. "Not to mention Freddie Mercury's sexuality is still being debated to this day." Bubbles rolled her eyes with a playful smile.

"Is that the only reason why they're better?" Boomer shook his head.

"Not entirely." Bubbles giggled. Just then, Robin walked back up to their table with their plates in hand.

"One extra cheesy cheese burger with a cherry float for Boomer and a veggie burger with everything on it and root beer for Bubbles." She set the two plates down before grabbing the large plate of fries from her tray. "And a plate of fries with ketchup and relish. Let me know if you two need anything else." The two counterparts thanked their friend before Boomer looked up to the brunette.

"Actually Robin, do you think you could turn on a little Queen on the radio?" Robin nodded.

"Any particular song in mind?" Boomer scrunched up his face in thought before grinning.

"Killer Queen, please." Robin smiled.

"Sure thing!" Robin trotted away to the radio system and clicked on the music. The light piano riff to the older classic popped on from the speakers, filling the restaurant with plenty background noise. Boomer nodded his head along to the beat before digging into his burger. Bubbles chuckled and did the same, moving her head along with the beat.

As the two ate, Bubbles heard the door chime as it was opened. Out of curiosity, she glanced up at the body that walked in and nearly choked on her burger. Standing at the front of the restaurant was Jessie. His off looking blue-hazel eyes scanned his surroundings before catching sight of the two blondes. Bubbles lowered her eyes and slumped further over her food, hoping Jessie wouldn't recognize her. Or Boomer.

To her dismay, the brunette walked over to the table with a large, overdone grin plastered on his face. Bubbles groaned under her breath, hoping Boomer didn't hear her. Boomer was too into his food to notice Jessie standing right at their table. Bubbles glanced up and summoned a small smile.

"Oh, hey Jessie," she greeted. Boomer glanced up and smiled at the sight of his old friend.

"Jess! Hey, what's up?" Boomer grabbed a napkin and wiped off a stream of condiments flowing down his chin. Jessie chuckled and shrugged.

"Just decided to come and check this place out. Heard it had some good food. But what I didn't expect was to see you with her. Having lunch." His eyes seemed to flash red before returning to their natural color. "Together." Bubbles felt the return of that odd energy again. Her head prickled with the dark energy that she was sure was somehow coming from Jessie himself. Boomer seemed oblivious or even unaffected by the energy and smiled up to Jessie.

"Well, I decided it would be better to come here with some company." Jessie's smile became more overdone and strained in hiding his irritation as he stared hard down at Boomer.

"If you wanted company, you could've asked me. I've been free for _such_ a long time." Just when Boomer was about to reply, his phone rang in his pants pocket. Boomer pulled it out and opened it up. The picture of Butch flashing on his screen. He held it up to his ear.

"Hey Butch-"

"Boomer, get down here _**now**_!" Butch's voice was frantic and full of panic. Boomer frowned.

"Butch? What's wrong? Are you okay?" His voice was laced with worry.

"It's Vincent! He's gone batshit crazy! He suddenly woke up and attacked Brick, then he went after Blossom! Get here, get here _**now**_!" Butch's voice suddenly clicked off. Boomer took a moment to lower his phone. He placed it back in his pocket before standing from his chair. Bubbles took notice of his distressed face.

"Boomer, what's wrong?"

"We…we need to get to the hospital. It's Vincent. Something's happened." Bubbles gasped slightly before standing up from her chair.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Bubbles started towards the door with Boomer quickly following. Jessie watched them, and a long, wide grin began to break out onto his face. He quickly plastered an apprehensive mask onto his face before following after them.

"Wait up!" Jessie called once he burst from the restaurant's front door. "Let me come with you!" Bubbles whipped around to face him, hostility glaring from her eyes.

"This is more of a _family_ emergency, Jessie. It would be better if it was just-"

"Now hold on, Bubbles. I think Vincent should have all of the support he can get. I think it would be fine if Jess were to come." Bubbles glanced from Boomer to Jessie and back to Boomer before huffing.

"Fine." Without another word, Bubbles quickly entered her car. Boomer led Jessie to his and quickly turned on the engine, following after Bubbles. Jessie couldn't help but smirk as he stared out the window. Everything was going perfectly…

* * *

Boomer and Bubbles both jumped out of their cars quickly once they parked near the hospital. Jessie sighed and tried to hide his delighted grin from the other two as he followed after them. They all entered the hospital just in time to see the absolute chaos it was in. Nurses and doctors were running around grabbing everything they could that they knew would be able to put a two hundred pound man under.

" _Ooh, what are you planning to do, Jessie?_ " a voice whispered in the brunette's ear. Jessie smirked before placing his best concerned face on for Boomer. He tapped the larger man on the shoulder. Boomer spun around to look at him.

"I'm going to go find someone who may know what's going on. You go find your brothers and the girls. I'll catch up in a little bit." Boomer agreed and grabbed Bubbles' hand, pulling her down the hallway. Jessie glanced around and saw a sign down one of the hallways that said "stairs." He walked down the white and light blue hallway before opening up the door to the staircase. He closed the door behind him and went up one flight of stairs before stopping.

"So, now that we are alone, do you plan on telling me what you have in mind?" HIM misted onto the landing in front of Jessie. His black cloak still hid the rest of his figure away. Regenerating after being completely destroyed took more time than one would think for a demon of his age. Jessie blinked his eyes several times. The soft, innocence of his blue-hazel pools broke away for his more sinister pinkish-red orbs. The colors swirled within each eye with the power HIM's curse over the young man.

"This is the perfect opportunity to get rid of that wannabe hero, Vincent." HIM scoffed as if he just rolled his eyes.

"Is that it? Seems like a waste of time." Jessie's smirk grew.

"But…but that's not all. I'll make it seem like it was an accident for him to die." HIM stayed silent, waiting for the young man to tell what he meant. "Your dearest half-son Brick is going to kill him. All I need to do is get Vincent to act even crazier than he was before and get Brick to snap his neck while trying to subdue him. Then dearest little Blossom will never be happy again. Her boyfriend was killed at the hands of her almost lover. It's the perfect plan." HIM hummed in amusement.

"That's… surprisingly devious. I'm proud, Jessie. Now, I've noticed that you've been taking interest in that parasite growing within Buttercup. Care to divulge the plan for that baby?" Jessie chuckled.

"Oh, just you wait. She'll never see it coming." With that, Jessie jogged back down the stairs, leaving HIM to dissipate into the air.

Once he entered the chaotic hospital hallways, he put back on his concerned mask, his pinkish-red orbs returning to their blue-hazel coloring. He saw a rushing doctor and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, doctor. Um, where are the Powerpuff Girls and the Rowdyruff Boys? I'm a family friend, and they said I could come." The doctor panted as she whipped a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear.

"Oh, they are with one of the patients trying to calm him down. But, sir, I think it would be wise to just stay in the waiting room." Her voice quivered slightly. Jessie shook his head at her.

"That's okay. I can hold my own. Besides, they may need my help. Which hallway are they down?" The doctor sighed in defeat before pointing to the hallway on the far left side of the waiting room.

"Once you get to the end of the hall, turn right. You should be able to figure it out from there." Jessie thanked the small doctor before turning towards the hallway. He quickly walked down the white and blue hall with his hands casually placed in his jacket pockets. He turned right and could hear the yells and screams from the others. He picked up speed and jogged down the hallway to a large room.

As he reached the door of the large room, he caught sight of one of the nurses dragging out another on his shoulders. The nurse he was carrying was bloody and bruised with scrapes and cuts decorating her skin from head to toe. Even parts of her scrubs were torn, the fabric frayed messily. Jessie pushed the door open and saw several doctors and nurses all trying to hold down a flailing and screaming Vincent. The room was completely torn apart. Several appliances were skewed across the floor; potted plants were broken, and dirt was scattered along some parts of the once clean floor.

Suddenly, Vincent roared and shoved off the doctors and nurses with some unknown force. Bubbles and Boomer were the first ones to take action while Buttercup helped the hospital staff to their feet and urged them to leave at once, helping the injured exit the room. Blossom was too busy crying her eyes out as Brick and Butch stayed close to the blue counterparts just in case they needed help.

"Jessie?" Blossom asked glancing up at him. Her eyes were puffy and red from the many tears she shed. Her bottom lip was split, and she had a large dark bruise on her collarbone. Jessie rushed up to her and hugged her close.

"Oh my god, Blossom! Are you okay?" he asked. Blossom sniffed and buried her face into the hem of Jessie's jacket.

"This is all my fault! This is all my fault…" Jessie shushed her and rubbed her back soothingly. He glanced down at Vincent who was, to Jessie's dissatisfaction, staring at him.

" **NO! NO, NO, STOP! IT HURTS! DON'T MAKE ME!** " Bubbles frowned deeply.

"Wait, wait, wait, what hurts, Vince? Who are you talking about?" Vincent locked eyes with her before growling, pushing her away. Bubbles slammed hard into the opposite wall creating a dent in the plaster. Her head made a sickening smack noise before she tumbled to the ground, blacking out. Boomer gasped and called for Butch and Brick to take over.

Jessie glanced over at Boomer looking down over at the blonde woman and scowled. His eyes flashed red and, in turn, Vincent shrieked. His back lifted off of the ground as he shook free of the Rowdyruff's hold. He jumped to his hands and feet, crouching like an animal, hissing unnaturally at the two blondes. Jessie's eyes honed in on Boomer who hadn't yet noticed the hissing man behind him.

"Boomer, _**look out**_!" Brick called out to his little brother, but to no avail. Vincent pounced on Boomer's back, clawing him away from a knocked out Bubbles. Boomer tried to kick Vincent off, but the brunet got the upper hand. He flipped Boomer onto his back and grouched over him, snarling. An inky black substance began dripping from his lips. The thick liquid hit Boomer on the side of his face. The blonde yelped in surprise. It was burning him! Boomer grabbed Vincent by the shoulders and pushed with all of his might. Vincent snarled and bit down at the Rowdyruff, snapping his teeth loudly. The black substance spraying over Boomer's face. Boomer let out a pained yowl as he kept trying to get Vincent off of him.

Jessie kept hold of Blossom who was still sobbing into his neck. Jessie stared down at the struggling Boomer and smirked slightly. _Time for the grand finale_.

Bubbles groaned slightly shaking herself awake. She place a delicate hand on her head as she looked at the scene around her. A sharp ringing blocked her hearing from the yells and screams from the others. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Boomer was struggling to move Vincent away from him. His brothers grabbed Vincent by the arms and hoisted him away from Boomer. Butch shot over to Boomer and checked his face to see if there were any type of burn marks on him. Surprisingly, after wiping to black liquid away, there were none. Bubbles slowly moved her gaze to glance at Brick who was holding Vincent with an arm around his neck. Bubbles looked over to Jessie and saw that he was staring intently at the struggle.

Then, in a single moment, Bubbles saw Jessie's eyes flash a magenta color. She frowned and turned to see Vincent struggle even more. Brick's grip tightened, his large arm clutching Vincent's neck harder. Bubbles frantically glanced back over to Jessie who flashed his eyes once more. Vincent roared again and started pressing his neck against Brick's arm.

 _I know what he's doing_ , Bubbles thought. The throbbing in the back of her head wasn't as important as stopping Jessie. She struggled to lift herself, the weight of her own body making her movements sluggish and stiff. She only had a little bit of time before Vincent snapped his own neck.

"Vincent, _NO_!"

 _ **Crack!**_

Jessie's eyes ceased their slow flashing, and a serpentine smirk slithered its way onto his lips. He held Blossom by her arms as she saw the whole scene unfold in front of her. Bubbles gasped as she watched Vincent's eyes roll to the back of his head, and his body slouched into Brick. The redhead yelped and let the brunet go from his arm. Vincent feel to the floor with a thud.

"VINCENT!" Blossom pulled herself away from Jessie and fell to the floor next to her boyfriend. "Vincent, no! No, no, no! Please, no! Vincent!" She moved the sleeve of his hospital gown and placed two fingers on his pulse. Nothing. Not even a single beat. She sniffled once before clutching her lover to her chest, sobbing into his hair. Brick stared down at the dead man and backed away slowly. He swallowed harshly and removed his hat from atop his head before pinching the bridge of his nose.

The door to the room opened up and a slightly bloody Buttercup entered. Jessie glanced down at her outfit wide-eyed. She brushed him off, running her bloodied fingers on her shirt.

"It's not mine. Is Vincent okay?" Jessie sighed and lowered his head solemnly. Buttercup glanced over to a sobbing Blossom and a limp Vincent in her arms. Buttercup gasped. "Oh my God, w-what happened?" Jessie sighed before answering.

"I think Brick held on a little too strong and…Vincent didn't make it." Buttercup stared up at Brick and frowned. Brick wouldn't do that! Would he? She did know that he had a thing for Blossom, but killing her boyfriend?

Blossom's sobs suddenly were silenced, and she wiped her eyes slowly. She glanced up at Brick with a snarl. Brick stared into her eyes, afraid to look away. If looks could kill… Fierce, unadulterated rage burned from the Powerpuff's eyes. Her bangs hung low over her eyes creating a shadow under her glowing pink pools.

"You. You did this," she said, keeping her voice quiet. Brick shook his head.

"No, no he pressed his neck against my arm. I swear I didn't do this, Blossom! I would never even dream of doing something like this! Vincent-"

" **DON'T SAY HIS NAME!** You never liked him! You _**killed**_ him! You killed him in cold blood, you _**monster**_!" Brick kneeled down on the ground in front of her.

"Blossom, please! I didn't do this. I swear to you!" Blossom scoffed, bringing Vincent's body closer to her.

"Get out. And take your brothers with you. I'm done speaking to you," she hissed.

"Blossom, come on-"

"Out."

"Blossom-"

" _ **OUT!**_ " Brick decided not to push her any longer and stood up from the floor. His brothers stood up and frowned at him. Both of them seemed astonished that Brick could do such a thing. Brick glanced at both of them before motioning to the door.

"Come on, guys," Brick commanded quietly. His brothers looked at each other before following their leader out of the hospital room.

"Come on, Jessie. Let's give them some space," Boomer called to his friend. Jessie nodded and followed. With one final glance back, Jessie saw her sisters speaking in hushed tones, trying to comfort Blossom. Jessie smirked to himself before closing the door behind him.

 _One down, five to go…_

* * *

 **HELLLOOOO EVERYOOOONE!**

 **I'm back! Yay! I'm so sorry for the long wait. I should've given ya'll a heads up on my page. I've just been so busy with getting ready for graduation and prom. So, so, sorry again. Summer is close and that means that I can write the living shit out of this story. And I promise that I'll make it work. If I don't, send me all the hate mail you want.**

 **So, with that said, I hope you all liked this chapter and can't wait for more! I'll see ya later!**

 **Bye Guys!**

 _ **~TheRedWolf**_


	8. Chapter 8

**Time**

 **Part 3: Agonizing Deception**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

* * *

"I don't think I'm ready for this," Blossom whimpered. It had been two months after Vincent's death, and everyone was still feeling the sting. Even the Ruffs. Blossom had done nothing but cry herself to sleep for the past eight weeks, neglecting to pick herself up to go to the Lab for work. Her boss had to call her up several times to give her a monotone speech about how he's sorry for her loss, but she needs to still put in the effort for the good of the pink Powerpuff tuned him out after the first two times. Now, in the end of May, it was finally time for the funeral. Getting the family together pushed the memorial back several times. Some of Vincent's family was on the other side of the world. Most of the time it was Vincent's own parents who pushed it back. Neither one of them wanted to truly believe that they had to plan a service for their son. Blossom couldn't blame them. She didn't feel ready at all.

Buttercup sighed behind her sister and placed her hands on Blossom's shoulders after she zipped the dress up.

"You'll be fine, Bloss. Me and Bubbles will be right there with you." Buttercup moved away, placing a hand on her six months pregnant belly. She rubbed it gently, growing into the idea of being a mother soon. Even though it was a time of great tragedy, she couldn't help but be excited for the baby's birthday. During her four month checkup session, she and Butch decided not to know the baby's sex until it was born. The anticipation was killing her. She even had a few names picked out.

Blossom sighed deeply before moving from her mirror to her bed.

"I just… I miss him so much. He… He didn't deserve what _Brick_ did to him. Ugh, I should've called the cops on him..." Blossom hissed out the Rowdyruff's name like it was poison in her system.

Buttercup sighed with a roll of her eyes. She knew Brick didn't mean to bring that kind of harm to her sister's boyfriend, and Bubbles knew it, too. During their time together, when talking about the fiasco that happened in the hospital, Bubbles divulged that she had a feeling that something or someone was trying to tear them all apart. Buttercup tried to get her blonde sister to tell her who or what, but Bubbles wouldn't budge.

Buttercup slightly waddled over to Blossom's bed and sat down carefully next to her. Blossom noticed her sister's struggle and frowned.

"You don't have to go, you know. You should stay here, order food or something." Buttercup shook her head.

"No, I'm okay. Why wouldn't I go to the funeral? Vincent was like family. Plus, I don't really want to be alone right now." Blossom scoffed.

"Damn him for getting you pregnant. That _pig_."

That was another thing Buttercup hated about the whole situation. Blossom took a newfound hatred for Brick's brothers. Every time either of them would bring Butch or Boomer up, Blossom couldn't help herself but to take the piss out of them both. Buttercup and Bubbles got sick of it a month and a half ago, but Blossom wouldn't stop. It was as if talking bad about them was some kind of drug for her.

"That baby is going to be messed up. Sharing DNA with someone like that would mess anyone up."

Buttercup shot up from her spot on the bed and glared at her sister.

"Don't you dare bring my child into this! Don't you dare. Butch has done nothing yet to make me think of him being less than capable of taking care of this baby. You leave both of them alone. Bubbles and I are _**sick**_ of this whole 'bashing them just to bash them' attitude you've developed! Just drop it!" Blossom didn't look the least bit afraid of her sister's yelling. She just had the same deadpan look on her face.

"Yeah, whatever." Blossom glanced up at the clock. "We should go. Everyone should be there by now." She grabbed her keys from her desk and led the way into the hallway down the stairs. Once they put on their jackets and shoes, the two exited the house and climbed into Blossom's car. Blossom turned out of her parking spot and sped down the street to the funeral home.

* * *

"I can't believe we weren't invited. I don't even understand how this happened!" Rachel wiped at her puffy red eyes with a clump of tissues in her small hands. "Brick, are you sure it was an accident?"

Brick sat on the couch next to Rachel's chair with his arms on his knees, bent over. Boomer and Butch sat next to him with melancholy strewn all over their faces. Brick glanced up in shock.

"Of _**course**_ it was, Rachel! How could you think it wasn't? I'm not that type of person anymore. I'm _**military**_ for fuck's sake!" Rachel sniffed once more, realizing her mistake. She reached out a hand and gripped her son's.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, Brick. I shouldn't doubt you. I've learned firsthand how much you've changed." Brick sighed and nodded gripping her hand back gently. Butch groaned and placed his head in his hands.

"Yeah well, Leader Girl won't even let me near my _pregnant_ girlfriend because of this. When I tried, she flipped out at me and told me to 'leave her sister alone, or I would be sorry' or something like that. Now, we have to sneak around like we're teenagers again. It's awful." Boomer grunted in agreement.

"I got the same treatment when I saw Bubbles and her at the mall the other day. She told me to go fuck myself and to leave her little sister alone. And we just started dating again… Bubbles even told me that we should stop seeing each other for the time being." He looked to Butch. "At least you get to sneak around with Buttercup. I get jack shit." Rachel scoffed and pulled her hand away from Brick.

"I hope you two aren't blaming your brother for this." Butch leaned back and frowned down at his red headed brother.

"If it wasn't for him none of this would've happened…" Rachel shot out of her chair, pointing an accusing finger at Butch.

"You stop that! _**Right now**_! This was not Brick's fault, okay? It was an accident. Even though he screwed up, you two should still be there for him!" The two men crossed their arms over their chests, glancing down at the floor. Rachel sniffed once more. "Well, you are all allowed to stay here for the night. It's not like your rooms have gone anywhere." She glanced over to the clock and saw the time flash 6:45. "I'll make us some dinner." Rachel moved from the living room to the kitchen, leaving her brooding sons to themselves. There was a long moment of silence before Boomer decided to speak up.

"It's not your fault, Brick. I'm sorry, I'm just upset. I'll get over it." Brick sighed.

"I just… don't understand what happened. I wasn't even holding him hard enough to snap his neck!" He shook his head. "I'm being framed. I don't know by who or by what, but I did _**not**_ do this. I _**couldn't**_ have." Butch and Boomer stared down at their brother before looking at each other. Brick leaned back on the couch and grabbed the remote from the side table. He clicked on the TV, and the news popped up on screen. The woman on the screen shuffled her papers before looking to the camera, folding her hands in front of her.

" _In other news, it has been reported that a fire, seemingly spontaneous, has sparked up at the historical Townsville Funeral Home. It is known that The Powerpuff Girls, along with some close friends and family, were at the scene before the fire began to burn the whole place down. The girls quickly sprung into action and successfully evacuated the premises . But trying to put out the raging fire was no use. More damage came to the funeral home than the girls anticipated. The person that they were holding the memorial for was burnt away with the rest of the building. What is even stranger is that is a large crack was seen near the graveyard deep within the ground. Here is Jeremy Adder on the scene._ " The screen switched over to a lanky man with black rimmed glasses, holding up a microphone. " _Jeremy, can you tell us what is going on? What happened to spark the fire?_ "

" _As of right now, no one really seems to know. Um, The Powerpuff Girls had to act pretty fast since some of the family of the deceased said that at one moment there was no sign of fire, and the next the whole building was ablaze. Um, the fire department came not too long after the girls began the evacuation process to get their family and friends as far away as possible._ " The newswoman nodded her head before asking more questions.

" _It is reported that there is a large crack in the ground near the graveyard. Can you tell us what that is all about, or what may have caused it?_ " Jeremy held up the microphone once more.

" _Uh, as of right now, there is no explanation for the large gap in the ground. There wasn't one before the funeral started, but after the fire started it was seen by the others. It's pretty deep, and no one knows how far down it goes, but as you can see behind me, the TVPD are trying to figure out what caused it and are blocking it off just in case a civilian gets too curious._ " The newswoman nodded once more and thanked Jeremy for the report. Jeremy thanked her, and the screen returned back to its normal state. The boys stared in astonishment at the screen. Brick looked to his brothers wide-eyed.

"W-what the hell was that?" Boomer finally blinked and gulped harshly.

"Why would someone burn down the funeral home? Did they know the girls would be there?" he asked. Butch frowned.

"No, that wasn't a normal fire. Fires don't just spontaneously burn buildings to the ground like that. I have to call Buttercup, see what's going on. They might still be there." Butch brought out his phone and opened his contacts, tapping on his girlfriend's name. He jumped up from the couch and jogged up the stairs to his room. He closed the door behind him and sat on the edge of his bed with his phone to his ear. After the third ring, Buttercup's voice could finally be heard.

" _Butch_ ," she spoke, her voice was slightly shaky.

"Kitten, what's going on? Are you okay? We saw what happened on the news." Buttercup sighed, sniffling a bit.

" _I-I don't know! One minute, we were sitting in the funeral home listening to people pay their respects, and the next the fire just started. Luckily, we got everyone out just in time before the building collapsed. The police are trying to figure out what's going on in that crack in the ground, but I just… Butch, I could barely do anything! I was so scared. Is it selfish that I was thinking about the baby the whole time?_ " Butch placed his head in his hand.

"No, no, Kitten, it's not. I'm just as scared. Are you still there?"

" _Yeah, we're still here. The police are questioning the others. After they're done, we can go._ " Butch rubbed a hand down his face, worrying about his girlfriend and unborn child.

"Do you want me to come and get you? I can bring you up here to Rachel's house?"

" _Is that really a good idea? Blossom is right here, she might give you some trouble._ " Butch chuckled humorlessly.

"Humph, I'm not scared of Blossom. She can yell and scream at me all she wants, but she won't touch me if you're there." Buttercup giggled before answering.

" _Okay, just come get me then."_ Butch stood up from his bed and turned to his bedroom door.

"I'll be there in a flash." He ended the call and clicked off his phone, placing it back in his pocket. He jogged back down the stairs and slipped on his sneakers. Rachel poked her head out from behind the kitchen wall and looked at him.

"Where are you off to?" Butch slipped on his jacket and grabbed his car keys.

"Buttercup wants to leave, so I'm bringing her up here with us." Rachel told him that is was fine and went back into the kitchen. Butch exited the family home and entered his truck, speeding down the road.

* * *

"Blossom, you have to calm down, okay? Just breathe." Buttercup and Bubbles were at their sister's side rubbing her back, trying to prevent the panic attack that Blossom was too close to having. Blossom and her sisters sat on three small stools that the police brought over once they saw Blossom breathing heavily. Buttercup was already shaking from her nerves at the sudden fire and fearing for her baby. She did not have time to comfort her sister. All of this stress wasn't good for the pregnant woman.

"Blossom!" The girls looked up and saw a soot covered Professor run up to them. He kneeled down in front of Blossom and gently grabbed her face. "It's okay, Blossom. Calm down for us, please?" Blossom stared into her father's eyes before bursting into tears. Buttercup and Bubbles let go of their sister's hands as Professor pulled his daughter into a loving hug. "Shh, it's alright, Blossom. Vincent… he's in a better place now. I know how important he was to you, but I'm sure he's happy wherever he is. He was a good boyfriend to you, but sometimes these unfair things just happen to good people." Blossom buried her face into her father's jacket collar and sobbed at his words. Vincent was such a good man. He was the last person to ever deserve this.

As the Professor was consoling the pink Powerpuff, Bubbles looked up at the other patrons. Behind the crowd, she noticed that Jessie was near a small table the firemen and women set out with small cups of water. He seemed to have a small smirk on his face as he sipped away at the ice cold liquid. Bubbles frowned before looking back at Blossom.

"I'll go get her some water." Buttercup and Professor nodded. Bubbles jumped up from her stool and walked over to the isolated table. She slowly walked up behind Jessie and crossed her arms over her chest. "I know you did this." Jessie gulped down the water in his mouth and spoke.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered, keeping his back turned to her. Bubbles rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Oh, stop with the bullshit! We both know that ever since you jumped back into the picture, weird things have been happening: the phone call, Vincent's weird mood, Blossom getting hit by him, Buttercup's stomach cramps, and finally the untimely death of Blossom's boyfriend and the fire. I know it's you. It's _**always**_ been you. You've been nothing but trouble. Why you couldn't stay away from my boyfriend, I'll never know. Are you that _desperate_ for attention?" Jessie whipped around to face her, his blue-hazel eyes struggling to hide away the swirling reddish-pink that was underneath.

"Shut up! I never 'stole' Boomer away from you. He came to me on his own. He actually liked me. And you know what? You're too smart for your own good. Yeah, I did it. I did _**all**_ of it! It was me the whole time. But I'm not the only one to blame. You were never my friends. None of you really cared about me! Brickhead and Butchy-Boy bullied me almost all of the time in school, your sisters knew it was going on and did nothing, and you were so far on Boomer's dick that you couldn't see that maybe he just saw you as an easy fuck." Bubbles reared her hand back and swiped it across Jessie's cheek. Luckily, no one else saw their little tiff.

"How dare you! You don't have the right to speak to me this way! You are a vile and cruel person, and the others deserve to know what you really are. Especially Boomer." She turned on her heel and began to walk away, forgetting the water.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Jessie called after her in a sing-song tone. Bubbles stopped in her tracks and chuckled humorlessly before glancing back at him.

"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Jessie smirked and grabbed another cup from the table. He stood right in front of Bubbles, his smirk widening.

"Because, dearest Bubbles, if you even think about telling anyone at all," he grabbed her arm and forced her to look at her sisters. He leaned down to her ear and lowered his voice to a whisper. " _I'll kill that baby…_ " Bubbles' smiled dropped from her face and her eyes began to water in worry.

"Y-you wouldn't… You wouldn't go that far…" Jessie chuckled darkly.

"Oh, but I would. Try to tell anyone and bye-bye little niece or nephew. Buttercup wouldn't know who was the cause of it. You'd have to live with that guilt for the rest of your life. And when you've settled down and have children of your own, I won't rest until you are reminded of what you did every. Single. Day." Bubbles shook her head-hard- trying to keep the awful images from her head.

"Jessie, no. Th-this isn't like you. Wherever you've been… it, it's done something to you…"

"Oh, so now you're trying to act like you know me and compromise? Huh, of course. You were always the weakest link." He lifted up the small cup of water in front of her. "Don't forget the water for Blossom." Bubbles slowly grabbed it and began to walk away, thinking about what Jessie proposed. She had to tell someone, anyone! But she couldn't risk her niece's or nephew's life. _Damn him…_

"Here's your water.' Bubbles handed the cup to a now calm Blossom. Blossom took it and stared up at her blonde sister.

"Are you alright? You look a little pale." Bubbles sighed and waved her off placing a small smile on her lips.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm just trying to figure out… what caused this." Blossom sipped at her water with a nod. Suddenly, a truck pulled up behind the police line. The cops were about to tell the person to not park there, but they quickly realized who it was and let him pass.

"Buttercup!" Butch jogged towards his girlfriend and hugged her close once he reached her. Buttercup hugged him back and kissed his cheek.

"I'm okay, I'm okay." Blossom growled and jumped out of her seat.

"The hell are you doing here? Get out!" Buttercup pulled away and glared at her sister.

"Blossom, leave him alone! He's here for me. I told him to come and pick me up." Blossom reached out and pulled on Buttercup's arm to get her away from the Rowdyruff, but her stubborn sister snatched her arm back to her side.

"You're not going anywhere with him!" Blossom yelled. Buttercup grabbed Butch's hand, sticking her nose up in the air.

"Yes, I am." With that, Buttercup led the way back to Butch's truck. Blossom yelled at her to stop, but Buttercup kept going, tuning her out. The two ducked under the police tape and entered Butch's truck. Butch glanced at Buttercup and was about to say something before Buttercup lifted her hand. "Just go." Butch clicked on his truck and drove down the road again in the direction of Rachel's house.

* * *

Three weeks passed since the day of the memorial. It was the beginning of June and the heat was rising along with the tension within Bubbles. She was itching to pick up her phone and call Boomer or Blossom or Brick or anyone for that matter! Jessie was on a rage-induced rampage that was filled with nothing other than the sole purpose of making the super-powered group hurt as much as he did in their high school years. Bubbles thought it was silly. Nothing that happened in high school was important enough to hold a five year old grudge. What would make Jessie start to act like this? Better yet, where in the world did Jessie get his powers from? Were they always there, or did he pick them up when he disappeared? If so, who gave them to him? She had to find out so her friends and family were safe. Bubbles had to pay Boomer a visit before it was too late.

* * *

Boomer sighed as he lay in bed. Ever since the funeral, everyone seemed more bummed out than usual. Blossom was barely seen at all anymore, Brick was too down in the dumps about what he'd accidentally done to Vincent, Bubbles seemed like she knew something important but didn't want to tell anyone, and Butch and Buttercup were too busy planning their own lives together to deal with their siblings' plights.

Boomer rubbed his face before hoisting himself up from his bed. He shuffled over to the window and closed the blinds until his room was comfortably dark. He crawled back into his bed and threw the blankets over his head. All he could do now was to take a well deserved nap…

Bubbles sat in her car staring out the front windshield, frowning deeply. Every single question regarding the brunette man buzzed through her head, causing her mind to become almost overwhelmingly jumbled. Her bright blue eyes stared unblinking out the window at the bright afternoon light outside. She brought a hand up and pulled at the ends of her hair that hung low on her shoulder from a ponytail. She sighed before unbuckling herself from her seat and jumping out of the car. She glanced up at the house on the small hill and walked up to the stairs that brought her to the front door. She lifted her hand and knocked.

"Boomer? Are you home?" The door opened, and the blonde Rowdyruff stood with a bright smile.

"Bubbles, just the girl I wanted to talk to!" Bubbles smiled.

"I hope it's okay that I come over unannounced. Are you busy?" Boomer glanced down at himself and motioned towards his blue pajamas.

"Considering that I'm still in PJ's, I would have to say no, I'm not busy. Come in." Boomer moved back to let the young woman in. "Did you want something to drink?" Bubbles shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, but thank you." Boomer lead her to the living room after she removed her shoes and jacket. Boomer glanced back at her as they walked down the hallway.

"I hope it's not weird that I have another guest here while you are." Bubbles chuckled.

"No, why would it-" Bubbles stopped right in her tracks as Boomer came to the living room. Sitting in a chair next to the window was Jessie. Boomer glanced back at the stunned Powerpuff and frowned.

"Uh, Bubbles? Are you okay?" Bubbles kept her eyes on the brunette. Bubbles finally blinked and cleared her throat.

"Y-yeah, um, yeah, I'm fine." Boomer smiled and plopped back down on the couch. Bubbles slowly sat next to him, trying to forcibly hold back her meltdown.

"So, Boomer, are we still up for going skating on Friday?" Jessie asked smirking as he eyed Bubbles. The blonde Powerpuff tried not to scoff at his question. She knew he was trying to egg her on, but she was determined to not let it get to her. Boomer nodded with a smile.

"Definitely! I hope you're ready to get pushed over every time I pass you." Jessie chuckled.

"Not if I knock you down first." Jessie teased wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Boomer chuckled.

"And what would happen if you successfully got me on the ground?" Boomer teased back, scooting closer to the edge of the couch. Jessie leaned over and stared deeply into Boomer's eyes.

"Well, then I guess everyone else will have to be prepared for an hour long show." Boomer leaned back and laughed wholeheartedly.

"Oh-ho! Man, I've fucking missed you, Jessie." The brunette smiled also leaning back in his chair.

" _I missed you more,_ " he whispered.

Bubbles had had enough. She was not about to let Boomer get sucked back into this with Jessie.

"Okay, stop!" Bubbles jumped up from the couch and frowned down at the two men. Boomer looked back up at her confused.

"What's wrong, Bubbles?"

"Jessie is tricking you, Boomer! Can't you see? Everything was fine before he came back. Now look at what's happened! Buttercup is having trouble with the baby, Blossom's a wreck, Brick faces every legal thing she can throw at him, and Vincent is dead! And it's all because of him! He has powers, Boomer! HIM is back, and I'm pretty sure he gave him those powers! That's probably the reason why he went missing for all of those years! Boomer, we have to stop him before he messes with anyone else." Boomer stared at her wide-eyed.

"Wha- Bubbles, what are talking about? Jessie, wha…?" Boomer jumped back as he saw the state of his friend. Jessie was standing up to his full height shooting daggers at the blonde Powerpuff. His eyes were a reddish-magenta hue and dark circles began to form underneath. His face suddenly broke out into a monstrous smirk.

"Now what did I say about telling someone, you stupid bitch?" Jessie suddenly leaped out and tackled Bubbles to the ground. He pinned her down and snapped at her neck as streams of saliva dripped from his now needlepoint teeth. Boomer was stunned. What was happening? Why couldn't he move? Where was Sasha? Why were the walls melting?

Boomer glanced at the walls as they melted away, shiny, thick goop the color of crimson dribbled down to the floor, giving way to an empty darkness beyond. Boomer couldn't hear the struggles of Jessie or Bubbles anymore as the room, and the rest of his house, broke away without reason. Soon the entire house was gone, and all that was left was Boomer and his couch. He glanced down and saw that there was no end to the darkness below him. He was completely alone.

" **Oh, don't feel so alone, Boomer. I'm still here. I'll** _ **always**_ **be here…. BAHAHA AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHA!** " Boomer knew that laugh anywhere.

"No… No…. No, you're…you're supposed to be-"

" **Dead?** " The voice was suddenly joined by cloaked figure who stood a few feet away from the sitting Rowdyruff. To his surprise the couch was still there. The figure lifted up a hand and flicked it's wrist. The couch disappeared and Boomer flopped to the ground. Or fell to whatever was holding him up.

"How…? We destroyed you. In your own domain! You shouldn't be…alive. W-what's happening? What did you do to Bubbles and Jessie?" HIM chuckled.

" **Oh, I don't think you have to worry about them. Especially Jessie. He can handle his own.** " Boomer stood up and frowned.

"You stay away from him! He's none of your concern. If you even look at him, I will come back for you and kill you myself, understand?" HIM chuckled again, louder this time, shaking his cloaked head in amusement.

" **You really haven't caught on, have you?** _ **None**_ **of you have! You are all just as stupid and naive as I remember you being when you destroyed me. How droll! Do you really believe that Jessie is as innocent as you make him out to be? He is as vile and evil as I am! And that's saying something.** " Boomer frowned and shook his head.

"No, no, you're wrong! Jessie's been through a lot! You don't know anything about him!" HIM glided closer to the blonde, his white pin sharp glistening as he smiled sinisterly at Boomer.

" **I know more about him than you do, dearest son. Where do you think he was when he went missing? Why do you think all of these strange and unusual occurrences happened right as he came back into your life? You don't know shit about him. And** _ **that**_ **is what will get you killed."** HIM chuckled once more before backing away. " **See you soon, son. Oh, and tell your brothers I said hi.** " HIM laughed once more. The multiple voices mingling with his grew louder and more demonic as he disappeared into a swirling mass of red and pink. Once he was gone, everything began to fade away…

Boomer gasped harshly as he came too from his nap. He jolted and quickly sat up in his bed. His stomach churned violently, and he quickly threw the blankets off of him. He placed a hand over his mouth as he rushed to the bathroom. Luckily, Boomer made it to the toilet before a stream of sick exited his mouth into the bowl below him. He clutched the seat as he retched into the toilet. Once he was done, he weakly brought his fingers up to flush the toilet. He sighed and grabbed some toilet paper and whipped his mouth before throwing it into the bowl as it was flushing. He carefully stood up and clutched the sink, turning it on and washing out his mouth.

What happened? It all felt so real. Maybe a little _too_ real. What did HIM mean about not knowing Jessie? Boomer scoffed. Of course he knew Jessie! They were best friends back in high school! _But that was high school. What if something changed between then and now?_ Boomer stared at himself in the mirror. What really happened to Jessie those five years ago? Jessie really had no reason to run away. Sure, he had problems with his father, but that was no reason to run away. _Yeah, right. What about your father?_ Boomer sighed. He knew how hard it could get to have a father disappointed in you. Jessie was lucky. At least his didn't try to get rid of him.

Boomer rubbed his hands down his face. He thought he was done with that part of his life. All the pain and the hurt and the lies… It was too much for him to handle. Boomer turned off the sink and scratched at his head. He had a lot to think about. Either call up Jessie for an explanation or take comfort in talking to Bubbles whom he knew would listen to him. Hopefully, he would find out what HIM meant before anymore unexpected tragedy struck his family.

* * *

 **Hey Guys! I am back again with another chapter. This one is actually the shortest one I have made for this story. But don't you all worry, this is just the hump that will get us over into deep, dark, and sinister waters...**

 **Also, for anyone who has visited and read my profile, you all know that I am a video game nerd. I'm sad that I couldn't go to that oh so wonderful event known as E3, but I did watch the stream online and I must say, Sony brought the fire for their conference! No talking just trailer, trailer, trailer! I loved it! So many games caught my eye like that new God of War and that new Hideo Kojima game with Norman motherfucking Reedus called Death Stranding! Ugh! My wishlist is so full right now! AND THEY'RE REMASTERING SKYRIM! FUCK YEAH! Almost cried when I saw that. So, if ya'll are video game nerds like me and you went to and/or saw it online, tell me what your fav game from that was!**

 **Welp, I shall see you all next time! Bye!**

 ** _~TheRedWolf_ **


	9. Chapter 9

**Time**

 **Part 3: Agonizing Deception**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

* * *

His body twitched and shook as he sat back in the large chair. His arms and legs were strapped down to keep him from moving. His eyes were inky black, and flashes of every single awful thing that happened to him were forcibly playing over and over again in his mind. He squirmed and groaned in pain; sweat dripped down his forehead. His skin became unnaturally pale, and his veins were more prominent against his skin.

HIM stood a ways away from his pawn and studied how he reacted to his fear tactics. Jessie had an unstable and weak mind. It was almost too easy to bend and warp. All of the pain he'd suffered throughout his years made him vulnerable to manipulation. HIM was proud of himself. He picked the best person for the job. Those rotten Powerpuffs and his ungrateful sons would never underestimate his powers again.

The room was dark and only a single light hung over Jessie's head. HIM sat at a desk with three large computer screens beeping away at him. They showed the memories that HIM placed into Jessie's mind for the experiment and how well his brain reacted to his control. HIM's hands clicked away at one of the screens to document his findings.

 **Subject: Jessie T. Murdock**

 **Experiment: How will subject react to newly tested fear tactics.**

 **Notes: Jessie has an unstable mind. Easy to manipulate. Years of rejection from his own father have put him in a vulnerable state. He will listen to what I have to tell him without too much questioning. Eager to cause others pain who have "hurt" him in the past. Fear tactics are used well on him. Becomes unbalanced when questioned about his past. If I keep this up, Jessie will always do as I say no matter how much he may not want to.**

 **Next Test Run: Five days time.**

HIM signed and dated his notes before saving it and closing it up. He rolled his chair over to the computer that controlled the memories and used his mouse to cease the experiment. Jessie's eyes rapidly turned back into his pinkish-red hue as his head lolled forward. His breathing came out strained and heavy. HIM studied the last results of the experiment before shutting down the program. He stood up from his chair and grabbed the cup of water that was sitting on the desk and walked over to Jessie.

" **Here, drink this. It will help with the pain.** " Jessie glanced weakly up at the demon before grabbing the cup. Some of the water sloshed out of the cup from the violent trembling of his hand. He brought it to his lips and took a few sips before handing it back to HIM.

"So, this whole experiment is to make those memories disappear?" HIM smirked, joyful that his lie was not questioned at all by the brunet. He leaned down and began to loosen the restraints on the chair.

" **Yes, of course. That was our deal. You help me take down those "heros," and I rid you of your pain. Plain and simple. These experiments are just speeding up that process.** " Jessie sighed and leaned his head back on the padded chair.

"They hurt," he said, sadness washing into his eyes. HIM rolled his eyes behind his black sunglasses and moved to each of Jessie's arms.

" **Of course they do! These are your painful memories that I am washing away. You didn't think you would be taking a nap then suddenly waking up all better, did you?** " Jessie sighed shaking his head.

"No, I guess not. I'm glad you're doing this for me." HIM's smirk widened.

" **Not as glad as I am, Jessie. Not as glad as I am.** " Once HIM removed the last restraint, Jessie carefully stood up on wobbly legs. He clutched the arm of the chair for support. Once he could stand on his own, he turned to his mentor and smiled.

"What's our next move? I successfully killed Vincent, Blossom is a wreck, Brick is close to getting charges pressed on him, and the team doesn't feel so much like a team anymore. Who am I going after next?" HIM smirked.

" **Well, since the leaders are broken down, it's easier to get to the other four. You have Boomer wrapped around your little finger, so he won't blame you for anything. Butch and Buttercup are so busy with their own lives that caring for their siblings has taken a back seat, and Bubbles has to keep her mouth shut unless she wants to risk her niece's or nephew's life. For now, I want you to work on our toughest fighters. I don't seem to have their attention. I want them as broken down as Brick and Blossom, if not more. And the only way to get to them is through that hellspawn of a child.** " Jessie frowned, not knowing how much he could do to an unborn child.

"What did you have in mind?" HIM turned to the brunet, a sinister smile slithering onto his lips.

" **I want you to kill it.** " Jessie was taken aback.

"What? But you only said to kill it if Bubbles blabbed."

" **I want things to move faster, Jessie! Kill that baby. Trigger Buttercup to go into labor. She's seven months pregnant now, no one will think too much of it. It is a superbaby, after all. I want you to kill it just as it's coming out of the womb.** " Jessie nodded, deciding not to question anymore of it.

"Okay. I'll do it. You can count on me." HIM clasped his hands together.

" **Wonderful! Now, scoot! Go, now! I'll keep watch from here.** " Jessie nodded and quickly headed for the portal back to his own home. He jumped through the swirling pink and red light leaving HIM alone.

HIM waved his hand and the room began to transform into another. This one was red, and fire crackled behind the single red and black throne that sat in the middle of it. A large screen sat on the wall in front of the seat, and HIM snapped his fingers. The screen switched on, and the Powerpuff Girls and Rowdyruff Boys came to life on the large screen. He sat down on his throne and summoned a drink into his hand. He crossed his legs gracefully and sipped the drink delicately, awaiting the show that was about to unfold right before his eyes.

* * *

"Hey, Kitten?" Butch called from the living room of his house.

"Yeah?" Buttercup called back.

"When should you hear back from the realtor?" Buttercup waddled into the living room with a bowl of fruit in her hands.

"I think around next Thursday. I think that's when Justine said she'll call us back." She slowly sat herself down on the couch next to him, snuggling into the blankets for the movie they were about to watch. Butch reached into her bowl and grabbed a slice of watermelon, popping it into his mouth.

"I'm so happy we found the perfect place. Not too far from everyone else, good neighborhood, plenty of space for the kid and Psylocke. It's just… _the_ perfect place." Buttercup giggled. Seeing Butch being this excited about settling down and starting a proper family made her filled with unadulterated joy. In her younger years, she couldn't see Butch being a family man, but he'd matured quite well after all this time.

"I can't believe we actually got it. There were a bunch of other people who wanted it, too. I guess we made the best impression," Butch scoffed playfully.

"Well, no shit! We're superheroes. Of course we made the best impression." Buttercup giggled once more, poking her fork into the bowl as Butch clicked play for their movie.

What the two didn't realize was that Jessie stood right outside the house. His lips pulled back in a dangerous smirk, and his eyes glowed sinisterly. He raised his hand slowly towards the living room and focused all of his energy. He could feel the tiny heartbeat from the child inside Buttercup and shook his head. _Bye-bye, baby_. Jessie flexed his fingers and clutched them into a tight fist.

Back in the house, Buttercup gasped as she felt pain shoot up through her body. She groaned as she clutched her protruding belly and set the bowl down on the floor. Another jolt of pain shot through her, and she yelled out in pain. She felt liquid slowly trickling out of her into her underwear and onto the couch under her. Butch quickly paused the movie and placed a hand over hers, frowning in concern.

"Kitten? Buttercup? What's wrong?" Buttercup leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling in disbelief.

"It's too early… it's too early.. I- _ **AH**_!" Another wave of pain shot through her. She squeezed her eyes shut and clutched at her belly tighter. "Butch… I think the baby's coming!" Butch turned pale.

"What? But you're only-"

"I know, I know, I know! But it's happening _**now**_! We have to get to the hospital!" Butch nodded and quickly stood up. He placed his hands on Buttercup's elbow to help her up. He lead her to the door and told her to wait there. Buttercup leaned on the wall, and Butch ran upstairs to his room, rummaging around for his Go-bag. He reached into his pocket and sent a text to the group chat.

 **-** _ **Buttercup's in labor. Going to the hospital.**_

Butch stuffed his phone back in his pocket and pulled out his bag, quickly exiting his room. He ran back down to his groaning girlfriend and slipped on his shoes. He made sure he had his keys before opening the door and leading Buttercup outside.

Jessie was halfway down the street, on the way to Boomer's house. A satisfied smile plastered on his face. This was almost too easy. He was one step closer to completely tearing apart the team from the inside out. He would get his revenge, and it would be _sweet_.

* * *

Buttercup squeezed Butch's hand again as pain coursed through her. Sweat began to accumulate on her forehead. She still couldn't believe that she was going into labor so soon. She was only seven months along. She still had a lot of time before the baby was supposed to be born in August. _Maybe superbabies don't have to stay in the womb so long?_ Buttercup had a hard time trying to justify why she was in the hospital so soon, but there was nothing she could do about it. This baby was ready.

"Ugh, it's been two fucking hours! When is this child coming out?" Buttercup asked after another contraction pulsed through her. Butch kissed her knuckles and smiled at her.

"Regretting not taking those drugs, Kitten?" Buttercup giggled tiredly.

"No, the doctor said I was too far along. Now I'm not so sure he knows what he's talking about." Butch chuckled.

"Don't worry. He'll be here soon." Buttercup smiled.

"Still convinced it's a boy?" Butch nodded with a smirk.

"Hell yeah, I am." Buttercup was faced with another harsh contraction when the doctor walked in. Buttercup groaned and fell back on the pillows once it passed before glancing up at the doctor.

"Is my family out there yet?" The doctor nodded.

"Yes ma'am, and so is yours, Mr. Cromwell." The doctor checked Buttercup's vitals and nodded to himself. He looked to see if the super woman was dilated enough and grunted in approval. "Alright, Buttercup, you're ten centimeters dilated. Looks like you're ready to start pushing." Buttercup took a deep breath and clutched on harder to Butch's hand. He glanced over at her and kissed her forehead.

"I'm right here, Kitten." The doctor called over some of the nurses and situated himself at the end of the hospital bed.

* * *

The group of super-powered adults sat in the waiting room along with Jessie, Mojo, Rachel, and The Professor. All of them clutching at their hands or messing with their disheveled clothing, trying to keep their nerves down. Bubbles bit at her nails and decided to occupy herself with a magazine that was sitting on a small side table next to her seat. She picked it up and mindlessly flipped a few pages, staring blankly at the photographs and too small to read text.

Blossom sat next to her father and crossed her arms over her chest with an agitated look on her face. Being in the same room as Brick was something she wasn't a fan of. She aimlessly leaned over into her father's shoulder as a means to get away from the Rowdyruff even though he sat across from her next to his mother and Boomer. He had his chin in the palms of his hands as he sat leaned over on his knees. He could feel a burning sensation in the side of his face. He glanced up and quickly looked back down when he saw the loathsome eyes of his counterpart glowering straight at him. The tension between them could be felt by everyone else in the group and didn't help their already worried moods.

Bubbles scoffed and slammed down the magazine once she realized that a distraction wasn't going to help. She sighed and glanced over at Boomer. On one side of him was Rachel, but on his right side was Jessie. She frowned and sneered at the brunet. Nothing good could come out of him being there with them.

"Is there a good reason why you're here?" Bubbles suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Jessie glanced up and looked over to the frowning blonde. He slapped on the most innocent face he could muster before answering her.

"I was just on my way to see Boomer, and he rushed out the door before I could knock. He's the one who invited me. I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable." Bubbles chuckled humorlessly.

"No, you're not. You're enjoying this." Boomer looked across to stare at Bubbles.

"Bubbles, please. Don't do this today, okay?"

"Today wouldn't even be happening if your dumbass brother never touched my sister," Blossom chimed in. "This is all his fault." The Professor glanced down at her with a frown.

"Blossom, don't you start." Blossom stared up at him and rolled her eyes.

"No, you know it's true! If it wasn't for Butch none of us would be here right now. Hell, if it wasn't for this one," she jabbed her finger at Rachel, "none of us would even be associated with them."

"Hey, Rachel saved our lives from both of our fathers! If it wasn't for her, we could be living out on the streets doing who knows what." Boomer growled, glaring at the fired up Powerpuff. Mojo huffed from his spot on the other side of the small table between him and Bubbles.

"For the last time, I only did what I had to do to get you away from HIM." Brick chuckled and crossed his arms.

"There he goes again. Thank you so much father for abandoning your only sons. Thank you _**so**_ fucking much! You are our guardian angel! Round of applause for the good samaritan, everybody!" The redhead clapped his hands together slowly with a smirk. Mojo grumbled before pointing a gloved finger at the redhead.

"Don't you start with me, _boy_." Blossom chuckled and leaned over to glance at the ape.

"No, no, let him keep going. If you fly off into an uncontrollable rage, Brick here will just snap your neck!" Brick whipped his head towards her.

"Blossom, I've told you a _**thousand**_ times; that was an _**accident**_!" Blossom laughed.

"Tell that to my _**dead**_ boyfriend, asshole! I'm going to take your sorry ass to court, and you will be left with nothing! Not even that stupid, childish ass hat on top of your head!" Jessie sighed, having enough with the Power-Brat's screeching.

"Blossom, calm down, Jesus..." Bubbles jumped in quickly.

"Shut up, Jessie! You're not in this. You never were." The yelling began to slightly overlap between the two reds with Professor and Boomer chiming in at odd points. Rachel frowned sadly at the bickering heroes and raised her voice over everyone else.

" _Please_ , _please_ , stop this! Blossom, calm down-" The redhead quickly shot out of her seat as her eyes went wild glaring down at the older blonde.

"Bite me, _**BITCH**_!" The Professor stood up to pull Blossom back from straight out attacking Rachel. The others' voices sounded loudly as they argued with one another, standing up from their seats. Accusing fingers were being pointed at one another, and it seemed that only Rachel and Professor were trying to be the voices of reason.

As the group was fighting amongst themselves, none of them noticed when a figure walked slowly into the waiting room. The Professor glanced over his shoulder and saw a paler than usual Butch. His eyes were red and puffy, and his hands were stuffed into the pockets of his light jacket. He sniffed as he stared up at The Professor, snot dripping from his nose and tear tracks stained his ghost colored face.

"Butch?" he asked. The rest of the group ceased their yelling and looked over to the Rowdyruff. "Butch, what's wrong?" Butch wiped under his eye before glancing at the group.

"T-the baby… he d-didn't… _Oh, god_ …" He broke down into sobs once more clutching his face. Boomer quickly ran over to his brother and placed a comforting arm around him. He brought Butch closer to the group as he rubbed his back with a worried frown.

"Butch, what happened? Is Buttercup okay?" Boomer asked. Butch sniffed harshly before removing his hands from his face.

"The baby… he… he didn't make it…" The group was stunned. No one moved; no one even seemed to breathe. Bubbles' eyes began to water as she clutched her mouth with her slim hands.

"What? W-what happened?" Boomer asked, clutching his older brother closer to his side. When Butch didn't answer, he prodded him again. "Butch, you gotta tell us what happened-"

" _ **I DON'T KNOW, OKAY?!**_ She was pushing! I-it seemed like it was going well. When the kid came out the nurse took him and tried to get him to cry! Nothing worked! _**Nothing**_! He was laying limp, and he was… _so pale_ … The doctor has no idea what happened... Everything was fine... He was breathing… I-I don't know what happened…" Sniffs came from Bubbles and Rachel. Butch glanced up at Blossom and Bubbles and jabbed a thumb behind him. "She wants to see you. And… uh… you too, Professor." The three quickly broke off from the group and scurried towards Buttercup's room. Mojo and Brick enclosed the circle around Butch, grabbing his hand and patting him on the back, expressing comforting words. But deep down they all knew it wouldn't matter. A loss like that would sit with him for the rest of his life.

* * *

"Where are my sisters?" Buttercup asked weakly, her tear-covered face glistened in the dim light of the room. She had requested that they turn them down. One of the nurses placed a hand on her shoulder.

"They'll be here soon, sweetheart." Just as she said it, the girls and Professor burst into the room. The nurse moved away just as Bubbles ran to her sister and slammed into her, sobbing along with her. Bubbles could feel the waves of guilt wash over her with every shuddering breath coming from her sister. It was all her fault. She knew Jessie wouldn't keep his word. He would kill that baby even if she didn't tell anyone about it.

" _I'm so sorry, Buttercup_ ," she whispered. " _None of this should'a happened_ …" Bubbles moved away and sat on the bed wiping at her eyes. Blossom moved to the other side of the bed and leaned down to hug her sister. The Professor sniffed and pulled up a chair at the head of the bed.

"Butch kept saying 'he.' Was it a boy?" Professor asked, clutching Buttercup's hand. Buttercup pulled away from Blossom and sniffed. She nodded her head with a small chuckle.

"He was right all along…" She placed a hand over her eyes before sobbing once more.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart. I'm so, so sorry."

Just then, the door opened once more. The rest of the group stepped inside, gathering around the bed. Professor moved out of the way for Butch and took his place next to Rachel. The blonde laid her head into the tall man's chest, crying softly. The Professor pulled her close and laid his head over hers. Butch clutched to Buttercup as they both cried into each other at the loss of their son. The nurses all left the family to grieve and closed the door behind them.

* * *

It was well into the night, and Buttercup was sat up in her bed, staring down at the food that Rachel made for her and Butch. The two were left alone at the hospital as the others began to trickle away during the evening. It would be a couple of days before she would be allowed back on her feet to go home. But she was grateful that Butch was going to stay with her.

Buttercup glanced over at Butch who was in a similar state she was: blank face, slightly hunched over, staring at the food. Buttercup examined him. She couldn't think of one time when he looked so broken. Not even when Boomer was in the hospital. She glanced back down at the food and picked up her fork, poking at the mashed potatoes and peas that sat in front of her. She couldn't eat. Not with everything that happened only a few hours ago. But she would feel bad if she didn't eat Rachel's food. Buttercup scooped some of the potatoes onto her fork and brought it up to her lips. She slightly hesitated before huffing and placing the fork back onto the tray.

Butch looked towards his girlfriend in the hospital bed. Ever since their baby was taken away, he'd been pondering what could have caused him to die. Was it just bad luck, or was it something the doctors did? Or maybe it was Buttercup. Maybe she pushed wrong. Maybe she wasn't breathing right. Maybe… Butch could suddenly feel himself become more and more agitated as he stared at his girlfriend. She did something wrong. She _had_ to. Or else his son would be here right now, sleeping next to him. This was all her fault.

 _You should've never slept with a Powerpuff…_

* * *

"Alright, Miss Utonium. You are all set to go. I am truly sorry for your loss," the nurse said as she stood in front of the two super-powered adults at the entrance. Buttercup nodded her head with a small smile.

"Thank you. For everything." The nurse nodded back and bid them farewell before turning back down the hallway. Butch grabbed the back of the wheelchair Buttercup was in and wheeled her out of the hospital. He walked out of the building and towards his truck. He opened up the passenger door before grabbing Buttercup's hand and helped her sit herself in the passenger seat. He slid in the driver's seat and started up the car, driving into the busy city streets.

The car ride was silent. Only the noise coming from one of Butch's rock CDs was penetrating the unspoken words between the two. Buttercup glanced down at her boyfriend's hands. They gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were turning white. She couldn't blame him. He was so close to being a father to the son he wanted, only to have it end up being taken from him in a matter of moments. She knew Butch expressed grief with anger. She just hoped that this would only bring them closer. She needed him, as he did her.

" _Justine_ ," Buttercup squeaked before clearing her throat, "Justine called. She left a voicemail yesterday. I think I was out when she did. She told me that we got the house. We can start moving in whenever we're ready." Butch said nothing. He kept his emerald eyes trained on the road ahead. Buttercup decided not to say anything more, fearing he would blow up at her. She sighed and stared back out the window.

Butch pulled his truck into his driveway and shut it off. He slid out of the car and slammed the door behind him, causing the truck to shake violently. Buttercup stared at him as he walked up to his house, not even helping her out of the vehicle. She unbuckled herself and stepped out of the car following after him. Butch left the door open for Buttercup and threw off his shoes and jacket. After Buttercup walked in he quickly jumped up and headed for the kitchen, pulling out a soda from the fridge. Buttercup eyes him. He had something to say. She could tell by his body language. She kicked off her shoes and decided to find out what it was he needed to get off his chest.

"Butch?" No answer. Buttercup moved over towards the island in the middle of the room which he was slumped over. "Babe, talk to me. You have something to say, so say it." Butch glanced up at her, his green eyes slightly glowing. The two stared at each other before the intensity in Butch's eyes washed away. Tears filled them up before streaming over his cheeks.

"My son… I promised myself that I would do better than Mojo and HIM. Now… now it doesn't matter anymore…" Buttercup frowned and leaned over clutching him to her chest.

"You would've been a great dad, Butch." The Rowdyruff sniffed before continuing.

" _Why did you let him die…?_ " Buttercup frowned. It was only a whisper. Perhaps she heard him wrong?

"What?" she asked. Butch pulled away and wiped off his face. He glanced up at her with red eyes.

"Why did you let him die? Did you push wrong? Were you breathing right?" Buttercup couldn't believe what she was hearing! Was Butch really blaming her for their son's death?

"Butch, what are you talking about? I did everything the doctor was telling me to! I can't control whether or not the baby survives once it's out of the womb, at least not that soon. I did everything I had to do. He just… didn't make it." Butch sighed rubbing a hand down his face.

"You could've done something, Buttercup! Babies don't just die like that when they're being born! He was our son! You should've made sure he was fucking okay!" Buttercup scrunched up her face.

"Butch, there was nothing, nothing I could do! I know it sucks, but I had no control over it. Please don't blame me for this-" Butch suddenly stood up straight and threw his soda can across the kitchen. Buttercup jumped and backed up to the counter.

" _ **You should've fucking done something, Buttercup**_! Who else should I blame for your inconsideration? You let him fucking _**DIE**_!" Buttercup frowned and pushed the towering man away from her with a shove.

"I'm not going to stand here and let you blame me for this! I loved him way before I even told you I was pregnant! How fucking dare you!" The Powerpuff quickly ran out the room towards the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Butch stood in the middle of the kitchen with his hands clutched into fists. Buttercup was to blame. He was right. She should've prevented it. She was plotting this from the beginning. She's lying about loving his kid. She never wanted to have a kid with him. Each accusation made the anger swirling within Butch bubble more violently. No matter how much he hated getting into a fight with her, he couldn't help but put blame on the Powerpuff for the death of his child.

* * *

" **Wonderful!** _ **Wonderful!**_ **Jessie, you've done so well!** " HIM stood from his seat in the middle of the room and clapped his hands together at the young brunet. Jessie was called back into HIM's plane after his mission was completed. Jessie smiled to himself, proud that he could make his mentor happy. " **It turns out you didn't even need to threaten Bubbles! Too bad, it would've been nice to see her self-destruct because of all of that guilt. But it seems you have made her feel guilty enough, and that's all I asked for. You deserve an award. But more on that later. Now, we move on with our plan. As you can see, Butch's mind is already reverting back to his anti-Powerpuff ways. He thinks Buttercup killed his child. We have to manipulate that as best we can. Butch has never been the most paranoid out of the boys, so it might be slightly more difficult, but I'm sure you can handle it.**

" **As for the rest, well, the reds are practically at war. Perhaps a fight will break out because of them. Hmm, maybe our little goody-two-shoes Blossom could be exposed to some of that power you have. An uncontrollable rage would be enough to break her completely. Perhaps the fight could happen right in the middle of town with hundreds of unsuspecting civilians out and about, if you catch my drift. Brick is so emotionally whipped by her that he'll break down along with her.** " Jessie nodded, taking all of the information in. But one question still burned at the front of his mind.

"What about Boomer? I mean, you talk about the others and their downfall, but I haven't really heard you talk about him." HIM grinned suddenly, showing off his pin thin teeth.

" **Oh, I have my own plan for him, don't you worry. Oh, and before I forget,** " HIM waved his hand over the side table that was next to his throne. A black box with red rubies imprinted on it fazed into existence. HIM leaned over and carefully picked it up. " **You deserve this award. It will make things a little easier for you.** " HIM opened it up and lifted it towards Jessie. The brunet was amazed! He'd never seen anything like it before.

It was an amulet. The chain was thin black leather with some kind of language embedded on it in cryptic etchings. The language was colored in a darker golden color. The amulet itself was a large gem that swirled with color. It swished from red to deep magentas to brighter pinks to dark blacks. It was absolutely mesmerizing. Around the gem was a cuff with the same kind of etchings that the leather had on it. Jessie wished he could speak it, whatever it was. The brunet slowly picked it up out of the box to twirl it around in his hand for a closer examination. HIM really outdid himself with the necklace. It was beautiful!

"Wow… This is… Thank you." HIM chuckled with a nod.

" **For by best student, anything.** " Jessie pulled the amulet over his head and set the gem over his chest. It glowed in the dark brightly with all of the different colors moving around each other.

" **Now, I want you to come with me. Your powers are amplified with that amulet on. I have to train you on how to properly use it. Come.** " HIM flicked his wrist and motioned for Jessie to follow him. He walked towards the wall on the left, and a door seemed to come out of nowhere and creaked open, leading down a hallway. Jessie couldn't contain his excitement. With the amulet, he would finally be strong enough to take on one of the Powerpuffs or Rowdyruffs if the need arose. Now, nothing could stop him.

* * *

Boomer gasped awake and shot up in bed, almost tumbling onto the floor. His chest heaved as his breath quickened. The horrifying images still playing in his mind from his nightmare. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down completely. It was that dream again. Bubbles told him that Jessie was lying to them all, Jessie attacked her, and he was left alone with HIM taunting him about not knowing what Jessie was. It gave him the same feeling as it did when HIM possessed his mind all those years ago. Even though it was only six it was still a feeling he could immediately recognize.

The blond Rowdyruff wondered what it meant. Why was Bubbles telling him that Jessie was lying to them all? Why did HIM insist that he didn't know what Jessie had become? Was there something wrong with his friend? Was it a warning for something more? Boomer groaned and rubbed his temples. It ached thinking about another person he cared about going down the wrong path. His little family was already falling apart at the seams.

Boomer decided to wash away his thoughts and doubts with a nice shower. He lifted himself from the bed and walked into his bathroom to get ready for the day. He took a nice shower and brushed his teeth. After he was done, he grabbed some khaki shorts and one of his Marvel themed graphic t-shirts. When he was dressed, Boomer went downstairs for something to eat.

Once he entered the kitchen, he noticed his fluffy white dog Sasha standing perfectly still, leaning over her food bowl. Her head was leaned down towards the food though she made no move to eat it. Her shoulders were hunched over, and her ears twisted rapidly on her head. Boomer glanced down at her and squatted next to his dog.

"Hey girl, you okay?" Sasha continued to stand stiff. Boomer raised a hand and patted her back, rubbing the fur gently. "Sasha? What's wrong, girl?" Just then, a distant thunder came from outside. The house shook a bit soon after the sound. Another thunder rumbled through the house along with the distant thunders. Boomer looked around the room before he heard Sasha began to growl deeply. The white dog finally moved from her spot and dashed off towards the unusually large doggy door. "Wait, Sasha, hold on!" Boomer stood up and raced after her throwing open the door. Sasha was standing in the middle of the street with a few onlookers barking wildly.

Boomer jogged down the stairs and looked towards the way in which the other people were pointing. He stared at the distant downtown area of Townsville and saw the horrifying sight of glass and rubble crashing down. His super hearing could pick up the distant screams from the civilians. Sasha continued to bark wildly as she could also hear what he was hearing. He glanced down at his dog and patted her on the head.

"So much for easy on Sunday morning, girl. Let's go!" Boomer shot off down the street with Sasha at his side, producing her very own white colored streak behind her. Boomer tried to think of what it could be. It couldn't have been any of the villains from his younger years. They were all old and tired. Most of them moved out of the city. It could've been a monster from Monster Isle. But even they gave up on threatening Townsville a while back.

 _Mojo?_

No, Mojo was too hellbent on getting onto him and his brothers' good sides to do anything to Townsville.

As the two reached the bridge that connected the downtown area from the suburban area, Boomer slowed down to a steady pace. Police, firemen, and several ambulances were on every single bridge around the lake helping the screaming civilians along. One of the officers Boomer recognized turned to him and gave a sigh of relief. The booming from inside the city shook the ground violently.

"Boomer, thank God!" Boomer jogged over to the aging Italian officer. The captain glanced down at the large dog and patted her on the head.

"Hey, Sasha." The white dog yipped in a greeting. Boomer placed a hand on the officer's shoulder.

"Officer Crowley, what's going on?" The older man huffed and placed his hands on his hips.

"Boomer, it's bad! It's gotten way out of hand. I had no idea that she could be this angry! I mean, I know she lost someone close to her, but putting the whole city in danger? That's just not like her." Boomer frowned more confused than he was before.

"Crowley, who are you talking about?" The captain sighed.

"Blossom Utonium." Sasha whined, suddenly recognizing the name. Boomer was stunned. Blossom was doing this?

"Blossom is doing all of this? Is she fighting a villain?" The captain scoffed.

"Well, if you could call your brother a villain now."

"Oh no. She went after Brick… What happened? Tell me everything you can so I can try to stop it." The captain nodded and led Boomer and Sasha towards the back of a large, black truck. He stepped inside and grabbed a clipboard from one of the tables amongst the men and women stationed there. He stepped back down and pointed to the reports he made from a few civilians.

"I got word that Brick was in the middle of the city, seemingly waiting for someone near a cafe. No one, of course, knows who that someone was. Blossom flew into the city and started yammering on about how everything was his fault and that he was going to die by her hand." He flipped a few pages and pointed to another report. "This woman here said that Blossom's eyes didn't look right." Boomer frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"She said that the pink in her eyes seemed to be changing from pink to red to like a magenta color. Is that what they call a reddish-purple mix? I dunno, I was never good at colors. Anyway, she said that Blossom flew into a rage and attacked Brick out of the blue. Your brother's been trying to hold her off for at least an hour now. The problem is that we don't know how many more people are still stuck in the city with them. We fear that there are people in office buildings that can't get out. I already sent so many of my men and women in there, and only a few of them came back out. I can't risk more lives, son." Boomer nodded, trying to take all of this newfound information in. Blossom was on a rampage. She was going to kill Brick if he didn't stop her.

But what about Blossom's eyes? He never knew her to be able to change her eye color even when she was angry. _Wait. Magenta eyes._ A flash from Boomer's past crossed his mind. He remembered looking in the mirror seeing those eyes looking back at him with a slimy smirk attached to his face. No, it couldn't be. It couldn't be happening again.

"Where was it you sent your officers?" Boomer asked, suddenly realizing that those people were in more danger than anyone knew.

"I sent them to the office buildings on Bridgewater and Parkview right across the late Mayor's statue." Boomer's eyes widened. Crowley placed a hand on Boomer's shoulder.

"Don't worry, we got Mayor Bellum out just in time. Her and her whole office are safe." Boomer let out the breath he'd been holding and nodded, feeling better. He glanced down at Sasha and nodded once.

"Alright, girl. I want you to see if you can find those officers on Bridgewater and Parkview. And save every civilian you can on the way." Sasha barked proudly before taking off across the bridge. Boomer lifted himself into the sky and stared towards the broken down city. "Don't worry, Crowley; I'll stop them."

"Be careful, son!" Boomer shot off towards the rumbles and thunders of the falling buildings quickly. He zoomed down the broken city streets towards the sound of the two redheads.

Suddenly, a large object crashed into him causing him to shoot towards the ground. He landed with a grunt, and the object rolled off him. Boomer looked up and saw the unmoving body of his brother laying a few feet away from him.

"Brick!" Boomer quickly stood up and ran over to his older brother. He plopped down next to Brick and rolled him over on his back. Brick's eyes were closed, and one of them was covered in a black and blue splotch where Blossom must have hit him. "Brick?" Just then, Brick's eyes shot open, and he shoved Boomer away. Boomer grunted as he skid to a stop on the sidewalk. He looked up and saw Blossom throw down what looked like the front half of a semi-truck towards his brother. Brick quickly moved and shot out of the way just before the truck could hit him.

" _ **YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER, BRICK!**_ " Blossom flew after him, hot on his heels. Boomer lifted himself back into the air and quickly followed. Brick bobbed and weaved through the city blocks trying to lose Blossom. He didn't want to fight her. He knew what she was going through, and he didn't blame her one bit. But no way in hell did he know that Blossom would go full rage mode and put the whole city in danger just to get to him! She was a superhero. She would've taken the fight outside the city. Either what he did really messed her up, or someone else got to her because the Blossom he knew would never do something as destructive as this.

Brick picked up speed and decided to pull an attack. He rocketed towards the ground and landed hard. He locked onto Blossom's coming form and focused. He could feel an energy beam form in his hands. He raised his hand towards her and waited. Blossom swooped down and zoomed right for him. Once she was dangerously close, Brick let the beam go. The red ball of energy hit Blossom square in the face and violently pushed her back into a building. Blossom crashed through it before tumbling on the ground several times, flipping into a car. She groaned as she peeled herself from the dent she made and slumped to the ground, grabbing at her head.

 _Voices…_

 _So many voices…_

 _Who should I listen to…?_

 _Why am I doing this…?_

"Blossom, stop!" The Powerpuff glanced up and saw Boomer walking towards her with his hands raised carefully. "Stop this, Blossom. I know you're angry, but putting civilians in danger is wrong!" Blossom frowned and glanced over at the large hole in the building she made. Several civilians peeked out at her. Fear swimming in their eyes as they looked towards their hero. Brick swooped down in front of the building and huffed staring down at Blossom.

" _ **YOU!**_ " Blossom stood up as her eyes burned bright orangish-red. Laser beams shot off from her eyes towards Brick. The Rowdyruff jumped up into the sky just before they could hit him, but Blossom's continuing stream of energy blasted off into the building. Boomer looked on in terror as almost all of the civilians were eradicated from existence from Blossom's power. Their gut-wrenching screams slowly faded away as one by one they fell into nothing but a pile of wretched smelling ash. Without remorse, Blossom took off into the sky after Brick.

Boomer stood staring at the building. The dirty floor was now covered in the ashes of the fallen. Blossom Utonium had actually _killed_ civilians. He couldn't believe it. Now he had a good reason to believe that this was not Blossom attacking his brother. She would never do something like this. Blossom loved her city too much to destroy it. Even if she was engulfed with rage, she would take the fight away from her beloved city. Boomer had to do something. But what? Boomer snapped his fingers and moved into the sky taking a different route towards the two warring reds.

Brick came crashing through two buildings, crashing into a coffee shop on the corner of the street. He smashed through the glass and rolled to the rubble covered ground. Boomer quickly moved inside before Blossom could find them and helped Brick up.

"Brick, I need you to listen to me. I want you to distract Blossom. That's the only way I can have a clear shot at her." Boomer could hear the raging Powerpuff Girl flying closer to their location. Just as he was about to leave Brick grabbed his arm. He glanced up at the blonde weakly clutching his abdomen.

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Boomer smiled slightly and shook his head.

"Of course not. I just need a clear shot. Talk to her, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Boomer zoomed out of the coffee shop and hid himself behind a car, preparing for his attack. Brick groaned in pain and limped out of the coffee shop just as Blossom landed with a thud. Her eyes went wild as she saw him.

" _ **YOU HAVE NOWHERE ELSE TO RUN!**_ " Blossom began to stomp towards the Rowdyruff, hunched over like an animal. Brick sighed and raised his free hand.

"Blossom, please stop. This isn't you. The Blossom I know would never put her city in danger just to get to me. Look around you. How many civilians have you hurt? How many do you think you've killed?" Blossom halted her advance on him and glanced around her. The voices in her head overlapping erratically. She placed a hand on her forehead, her eyes began to slowly glow pink. She shook her head and looked up at Brick. All intensity from before lost.

"Brick?" Suddenly, the magenta replaced the pink once more, and Blossom gave a roar before charging towards Brick. Boomer raised his hand and shot a charged electric blue ball of energy at her. The ball of energy slammed into the side of the Powerpuff's head, causing her to be thrown to the ground. Her body convulsed violently as surges of electricity coursed through her body before she went completely still. Boomer got up from his hiding spot and sighed in relief. He walked over to his defeated brother and placed his arm over his shoulder. Boomer lifted his hand and levitated Blossom into the air. Her arms were close to her straight body, and her long auburn hair swished around her gracefully with the energy from Boomer.

"You okay?" Boomer asked as he lead the way out of the mostly silent downtown area. Brick sighed yet nodded.

"She broke a few things, but… I'm okay. For the most part. I just don't understand how this happened."

"What actually did happen, Brick? I talked to Officer Crowley, and he said that he got a report from someone saying that you were waiting for someone near a cafe or something." Brick nodded once more wincing at the pain that rocketed up from his right leg.

"Yeah, Jessie called me and said he wanted to hang out. He wanted to make sure I was doing okay." Boomer's eyes widened. He could hear HIM's taunting voice play in his head.

 _ **You don't know shit about him. And**_ **that** _**is what will get you killed.**_

Could Jessie really be the one behind this? No, no that was crazy! Jessie went missing for years! Something terrible could've happened to him. He went through so much. But what if…? Could Jessie be working for HIM? That was a question Boomer never thought he would be asking himself. But as he walked along with an unconscious Blossom and his battered brother, he couldn't help but to actually think about it. Ever since Jessie came back, things had been getting out of hand. First Vincent, then Bubbles' paranoia, the fire, Buttercup's deceased child, and now Blossom destroying the city. And her eyes… He felt like he was staring into a mirror when he saw them. He had that same rage filled look on his face when HIM used him to do his dirty work. Did Jessie have those eyes? Could he hide them from everyone else so no one would know? Was he willingly working with HIM? If he was, why? He had to find out.

Boomer walked onto the bridge with a crowd of police staring at them. Many of the officers nodded their heads in thanks to him.

"Blossom! Oh my god!" The Professor rushed over to them with Bubbles and Buttercup. Rachel, Butch, and Mojo quickly followed, moving towards Brick. Butch took him from Boomer's arms and led him towards one of the ambulances. Boomer slowly set Blossom down into Bubbles' arms. Bubbles nodded towards him before carrying her along with Professor towards another ambulance. Buttercup glanced over to him and noticed the distressed look on his face.

"This can't be a coincidence. Either we are having a streak of bad luck or someone is messing with us. And since you have that face, I'm guessing you think the same thing." Boomer moved next to her and eyed the medics and police at work. Some of the officers were ordered to scout the city for any more survivors. Sasha was to go with them. He huffed and frowned at the scene. If all of this really was Jessie, he had some serious explaining to do.

"I may know who's behind this, but I'm not sure. Don't say anything until I'm sure." Buttercup glanced up at him and nodded.

"I won't tell a soul. Just be careful. If someone is messing with us, I don't want you to be his or her next target. Bubbles needs you. Hell, we all need you." She raised a hand and rubbed his shoulder gently with a soft smile. Boomer glanced down at her and smiled back.

"Um, Buttercup?" he asked, his smile dropping.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry. About… you know." Boomer sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that it was a tender subject for the Powerpuff. Buttercup nodded her head and pulled him down for a hug.

" _Thank you_ ," she whispered. Boomer hugged her back and pecked the top of her head comfortingly.

"I'm going to find this guy, Buttercup. Don't you worry. And when I do," Boomer looked around at every single broken person being attended to, "I might just kill him myself."

* * *

 **Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter.**

 **Wow, this is probably the most intense chapter in this story. This is when shit really hits the fan. Jessie is so close to completely breaking up the team. He's taking names and getting shit done! But HIM... Oh HIM has a plan. I actually feel bad for dearest Jessie. He has no idea what HIM is really playing at and these Fear Tactics that HIM is using will basically make him a slave. Kind of like The Winter Soldier if you guys have seen that Cap. America movie. Not really where I got the idea from, but it's pretty close. And HIM lied to Jessie saying that these tests will cleanse him of his pain. That's just not cool!**

 **So much happened and I hope you are all excited for more. We are getting to the climax of this story and I'm sure I will make some of you happy and some of you sad, but I want you to enjoy it anyway!**

 **I'll see you in the next one! Bye guys!**

 _ **~TheRedWolf**_


	10. Chapter 10

**Time**

 **Part 4: All For You**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

A chilling wind blew against his back as he stared up at the small house in front of him. Boomer's eyebrows furrowed deeply as he stood with his hands deep within his jean pockets. He had to confront him. Downtown Townsville's devastated state fueled his desire to get to the bottom of what was going on for the past few months. There was too much destruction going on for it to all be some sort of string of bad luck. He didn't want to admit it, but Boomer was starting to see how everything went to shit as soon as his high school friend returned to the town. Everything that his siblings had gone through all seemed to trace back to the brunette man. Now, as he stood outside in the evening light, he wanted a clear answer. And, no matter what, he was going to get it.

Boomer walked up the stairs on the hill towards Jessie's front door. He stepped onto the porch and raised his hand to ring the doorbell. It wasn't long before Jessie opened the door with a strained grin on his lips. Boomer studied Jessie's face and took notice of the dark circles under his now dim and lifeless blue-hazel eyes. The frame of his body was thinner than usual and the dyed color that usually stood on the tips of his bangs was now faded away. Even his hair fell limp on his forehead. His curls were nowhere to be found anymore.

"Oh, hello Boomer. Come in." Jessie moved away from the door to let the blonde man enter the house. Boomer kept his face serious as he entered and removed his shoes. Jessie eyed him, and his smile slightly faltered. "What's the matter?"

"I just have a lot on my mind, and I wanted to come and talk to you about it." Jessie's smile came back in full force once more.

"Well, you came to the right place! Here, let's go into the living room. I was just about to make some hot cocoa if you wanted some." Boomer followed the brunette into the small room and shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. But thanks." Boomer sat down on the couch and leaned over onto his knees, clasping his hands out in front of him. Jessie took one of the plushy chairs that sat next to the couch and tucked one of his legs comfortably under the other.

"So, what's up? Are you stressed out because of what happened on Sunday? That was crazy what Blossom did! It's still all over the news even though it happened a week ago. Is she at least helping you rebuild Downtown?" Boomer shook his head.

"No, she's getting some… psychiatric help. Losing Vincent was bad enough. Now this shit happened, and… she's at an all time low. I even think she's lower than how I was during high school. She's just… empty. It's like when you look in her eyes, there's nothing left inside of her. Professor and Rachel took a look at her, and they said that she was mind controlled. Again, kind of how I was. But the only person I know who can do that is HIM. And he's gone. He's been gone ever since that day we paid him a visit in his own plane of existence. There is no way he could be back." Jessie nodded his head, hoping to look as innocent as he was playing all this time.

"Well, he is a demon. Maybe he could've come back to mess with Blossom. You never know." Boomer's eyes squinted as he stared at Jessie. There was something so off about him. Not only was his appearance concerning, but the way he carried himself while he talked. It was like he was hiding something.

"Yeah… I guess you're right. But that's not the only thing that worries me. Everything has been going wrong. I don't even know when it started. It's like we've been having nothing but bad luck! I just don't understand it. It's like this is someone's way of getting back at us. But for what? What have any of us done?" Boomer asked as he kept his eyes on Jessie's face. He wanted to see how much of a reaction the brunette had. He hoped he was wrong about him, but something deep within his gut didn't let him think that Jessie had no part in what was happening to his family. The brunette began to falter under Boomer's questions. He could feel his skin prickle as it became hot. He had to try his hardest not to give away his intentions. Even if it was from Boomer, the only person he ever really cared about.

"I-I don't know. Maybe someone has it out for you for some reason… Uh, do you have any idea who it might be?" Jessie's eyes were cast down at the carpeted flooring as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. He soon noticed that Boomer had become uncharacteristically silent. He slowly glanced up at the blonde man and felt his heart skip a beat once he saw his face. Boomer's brows were knitted deeply, and his lips were set in a hard line. His electric blue eyes seemed to glow with unadulterated rage as he stared at Jessie. Jessie knew that the usually cool and collected blonde was about to explode. After a long moment of silence, Boomer finally spoke.

"Cut the shit, Jessie." His voice was deep and guttural, like the growl of a wild, untamed beast. "You and I both know that this shit has been going on ever since you showed up in Townsville again. Where have you been all these years, huh?" Jessie leaned back in his chair like a guilty child. He tried to shrink away from the blonde as he shook his head, his hazel eyes widening greatly.

"I… I… No- nowhere…" Boomer scoffed and scooted closer to Jessie.

" _ **Bullshit**_! Tell me, have you been working with HIM? He's back, isn't he? Did he take you that summer when you went missing? Is that where you've been? With HIM?!" Jessie's breath quickened, and he suddenly shot out of his chair, rubbing at his head.

"I don't have to take this interrogation shit from you! You of all people should know that I would never do something like that to you!" The brunette hurried out of the room and took off up the stairs. Boomer growled and followed after him.

"There is a day where I would've agreed with you, Jessie. Today is _**not**_ that day! You need to tell me where you've been!" Boomer caught up to Jessie and roughly gripped at his arm. Boomer spun the brunette around and shook him a bit while staring into his eyes. "Vincent, when he had the seizure, was that you?"

"No! No, it-"

"The memorial, the fire, was that you?"

"No! No, it was-"

"Buttercup! My _**nephew**_ dying! Was that you?!" Boomer's eyes began to water. The tears threatened to spill over onto his cheeks. It was too much, it was too much to think about. Jessie violently shook his head. He was becoming more aggravated and heartbroken with each passing second that Boomer questioned him, looking deep within his eyes, searching.

"No! No, no, no, no, it wasn't me Boo-"

"Blossom's mind! Her destroying almost the entire city! Was. That. _**You**_?!"

" _ **NO!**_ " With a sudden burst of energy, Jessie threw Boomer's body back several feet with an eruption of reddish-magenta light. Jessie could feel an anger inside of him like never before as he stared down at the wincing Rowdyruff Boy. His breath was as rapid as his heartbeat, and his eyes changed into their reddish-pink hue. Boomer groaned as he slowly flipped over onto his back. His side was throbbing from the impact he had with the hardwood floor. He sat up and looked at the now furious (and slightly glowing) Jessie.

"... Jess…" The brunette smirked.

"Was this what you wanted? You wanted to push me to see if I had power? Well, here you go. You've finally figured me out. And it only took you almost an entire year. Boy, how gullible are you, Boomer? Bubbles had me all figured out a long time ago. She even tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. How stupid can you get?" Boomer shook his head before he stood up. He eyed Jessie in disbelief. How could his best friend be so easily tempted by that loathsome demon from the very pits of Hell? He knew Jessie didn't have the most stable life, but to go on and team up with HIM was something no one should ever do, no matter how shitty their lives were.

"Jessie, why… why would you do something like this? HIM doesn't care about you. He's only going to use you until he gets what he wants, then he'll just throw you away like the piece of trash he already thinks you are!"

" _ **Ohohoho, don't say things like that, dearest Boomer!**_ " Boomer took a step back when a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere next to Jessie. HIM. The demon smirked, showing off his razor sharp teeth as he put an arm around his pawn. " _ **Jessie knows better than to listen to you anymore. Now he listens to me because I don't use him or lie to him. I have taught him everything I know, and he has turned out to be one of my most accomplished apprentices!**_ " Boomer snarled in disgust.

"You corrupted his mind just like how you corrupted mine and Blossom's! You're a monster! We will defeat you again! We'll just keep killing you over and over again no matter how many times it takes to get you to stay gone! That's a promise." HIM chuckled.

" _ **Do you want to know what my promise is? I promise that you will never get Jessie back, no matter how hard you try. He's been mine for a very long time, and he will stay mine.**_ " The demon glanced down at Jessie and lifted a hand to his hair. He pushed back the dark brown strands and whispered in his ear. Boomer tried his hardest to make out what he was saying, but the demon was whispering in some sort of language that Boomer had never heard before. All he knew was that, whatever it was, it was corrupting Jessie even more. The brunette's eyes completely glassed over, and his eyelids drooped slightly. His mouth was set in a thin line, and his stare was hard and lifeless.

" _ **Now, do me proud, Jessie.**_ " He turned to Boomer with a sinister grin and took a couple of steps back. " _ **Kill him.**_ " Jessie lifelessly obeyed and kicked off the ground, shooting right for a stunned Boomer.

* * *

"It's okay, Buttercup. It's alright. It'll get better, I promise." Bubbles sat on her sister's bed as Buttercup sobbed into her shoulder. Bubbles hugged the raven headed woman close and stroked her hair comfortingly. Buttercup sniffed wetly and pulled herself away from her sister to wipe at her face with the several tissues that were in her hand.

"It's just been getting s-so bad between us. I thought that o-once we m-moved it would get better… He's barely home, we barely speak, and now he's moved himself to sleeping on the couch. The _couch_! Pretty soon he'll be breaking up with me and moving out! I just… I don't know what to do…" Bubbles sighed and rubbed her hand on her sister's shoulder. She knew losing a baby was hard on them. Ever since that day, Butch had been putting the blame of their son's death on Buttercup. Bubbles chalked it up to it being his own way of coping with the grief of it all. She had no clear idea of what it really felt like, but she could only guess as to how heartbreaking and soul shattering it was by just listening to her usually strong and hard headed sister.

"Buttercup, Butch is deeply in love with you. He won't leave you for this. He just needs time; you both do. It's going to take time for this type of wound to heal. Have you tried talking to a marriage counselor? I know that you two aren't married, but it could help with the process. If you want, I could give Mitch a call. His dad works over at the counseling center. I could see if he would recommend anyone for you." Buttercup wiped at her face once more before looking up at her sister.

"Y-you would do that?" Bubbles nodded with a bright smile.

"Of course I would! You're my sister." Buttercup gave a small smile back before glancing back down at the floor, thinking. After a few moments of her going over it in her head, she nodded.

"Yeah… yeah, that's a good idea. Thank you, Bubs." Bubbles giggled and wrapped her arms around Buttercup, hugging her close. Buttercup did the same.

"No need to thank me. It's what sisters are for!" She pulled away and stood up from the bed. "Now, you crawl up there, and you rest. This must be so exhausting for you. I'll stay for as long as you want me to. And if Butch comes home while I'm still here, I'll talk to him about it, okay?" Buttercup nodded, suddenly feeling more tired that she already was. She pulled back the dark covers and snuggled deep within the pillows. Bubbles walked over to the single lamp that was still lit and clicked it off. She wished Buttercup sweet dreams before exiting the dark room, closing the door behind her.

Bubbles jogged down the stairs and entered the living room, plopping down on the couch. She could feel her own exhaustion creeping over her as she leaned back on the cushions. She had to take on the role of the rock in the group after Blossom's accident. She was the one that set up Blossom with her therapist, and she was the one that convinced the redhead not to press charges on Brick. Of course, after she came to in the hospital, all she wanted to do was to be with the ones that cared about her. Including Brick. Bubbles felt like that along with Buttercup and Butch's fallout, she was the one trying to keep everyone sane and together. Boomer wasn't much help, either. He'd been too busy being locked up in his home saying that he was always too busy to even acknowledge what she was going through. It was madness.

The blonde sighed deeply once more before leaning over to pick up the remote. She clicked on the TV and flipped through the channels.

"No."

 _Flip_.

"No."

 _Flip._

"No."

 _Flip._

"... _Rowdyruff Boys is battling some new, unknown enemy! I'm standing-_ "

"No… wait, what was that?" Bubbles flipped back to the news channel and leaned over on her knees to watch.

"... _No one seems to know who this man is or where he came from, but as you can see up behind me, this battle is far from over! Let's just hope Boomer can drive this man out of our fair city while reconstruction is underway!_ " The screen flipped back to the bronze skinned woman in the news studio.

" _Boomer Cromwell has been battling this man for almost a hour now, and it looks as if this unknown enemy is not giving up anytime soon. What we have been able to gather from this is that he has some of the same powers as the Rowdyruffs and Powerpuffs, but if he comes from the infamous Chemical X is still quite unknown. Now, we are going to show you all a close up of this man, and if you see him know to stay far away from him until this battle subsides._ " Bubbles gasped and covered her mouth as a blurry picture of Jessie filled the TV screen. She couldn't believe it! Jessie had powers! She knew he was bad news! But she never imagined he had those types of powers. She had to call one of the others. Boomer might be in some very real danger.

She picked up her phone and quickly unlocked it. Just as she was about to click on Blossom's name, she suddenly stopped. Blossom was at her therapy session. _Ugh, that means Brick is with her! And who the hell knows where Butch is!_ She huffed in frustration, clicking her phone back off.

"Looks like I'm going it alone, then." Bubbles huffed and slipped her phone in her pocket, but not before she made sure the setting for her distress signal was at the ready. _Never know when things might get too hairy._ She pulled herself from the couch and left the TV on the news channel just in case Buttercup came down the stairs. The broadcasters would surely catch her on screen once she got there. Finally, Bubbles pulled a hair tie from her wrist and quickly pulled her hair back into a messy ponytail, slapping on her game face.

The blonde ran outside and quickly took off high into the slightly cloud filled sky. Her blue streak followed at her feet behind her as she flew up above the city. Once she was high enough, she stopped and scanned around Townsville for Boomer and Jessie's exact position. Her pupils contracted as she used her supervision to get a close up look at every nook and cranny of the city. She swiveled her head to the right and suddenly saw a streak of dark blue light with a magenta light following close behind. Boomer was driving Jessie out of the city and closer to the forest. _Good job, Boomer_. Bubbles' eyes returned to normal, and the young woman shot off towards the two men.

* * *

 _ **BOOM!**_

Another flash of pinkish light bombarded towards Boomer, catching him off guard. The blonde went flying towards the ground in a cloud of color and crashed into the dirt and grass of the clearing. Boomer had successfully coaxed Jessie into following him closer to the forest where he wouldn't be able to hurt any civilians or their property. There was already too much destruction in the Downtown area.

Boomer groaned and glanced up at Jessie who was floating in the dimming sky with his glowing fists out, ready for another attack. Just then, Boomer could feel trembling under his hands in the grass. It was rhythmic and growing stronger. Jessie landed on the ground and slowly began to make his way towards Boomer. The blonde suddenly realized what was coming and smirked a bit as he looked back up at Jessie. All of a sudden, a blob of white fur jumped over Boomer's head and tackled Jessie to the ground roughly. Sasha snarled and quickly bit down on Jessie's arm and squeezed her jaw closed. Jessie's blank expression started to slightly waver as the dog continued to place pressure on his arm. Boomer quickly got up from the ground and yelled to his companion.

"Good girl, Sasha! Keep him distracted!" Boomer charged up a blazing blue energy in both of his hands and moved back into a ready stance. Sasha growled deeply and glanced at Boomer, knowing exactly what to do. She pulled on Jessie's arm and brought him to his knees. She let Jessie stand up as she continued to hold on to his arm and steadied herself against the ground.

Jessie's blank face broke out into a smirk as a stream of hot energy traveled down the arm the canine was holding and shot through her entire body. The crackling sounded like an electric current as it spread throughout every muscle in her body. Sasha whined and whimpered as the pain blazed through her before she was eventually thrown feet away from him, knocking her out cold. Boomer gasped and glanced over to Sasha, taking his focus off of his target.

"Sasha!" A sudden pain shot through his body just as her name exited his mouth, and Boomer was knocked to the ground once more.

Jessie shot towards Boomer with the same blank expression and wrapped his hands around Boomer's neck. Boomer gasped and lifted up his hands, trying to shove Jessie's face away to distract him enough to let go. Jessie kept an iron grip around his neck and continued to squeeze, never faltering. Boomer's vision began to become hazy, and the air in his lungs was dwindling. Just before he passed out completely, Jessie was suddenly shoved off of him. Boomer gasped in a harsh breath and coughed a few times before he slowly sat up. He looked to his left and saw that Bubbles was standing in front of him in a ready stance, staring at the limp Jessie in the grass.

"You okay, Boomer?" Bubbles asked, keeping her eyes on the brunette. Boomer cleared his throat and stood up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Sasha?" Bubbles glanced back behind her and pointed to his dog. She was being protected by one of Bubbles' bubble shields. The bright blue light emitted a glow and cast a single light in the darkening clearing. Boomer sighed in relief and turned back to Bubbles. "Good. How did you know I was here?" Bubbles glanced up at him with a small smile.

"The news. They were reporting your whole fight. I doubt they would be interested now since you're this far out of the city." Boomer nodded and sighed, suddenly feeling guilty. He awkwardly scratched at the back of his head and cast his eyes down at his feet.

"Look, Bubbles… I'm sorry that I… You were… I just-" Bubbles placed a finger over his lips before he could say anymore.

"I don't want to hear it. I know, and I forgive you. But we have- _**OH**_!" Bubbles' body was pushed away with a ping of energy. Boomer glanced over and saw Jessie on his feet smirking at Bubbles.

" _ **Blah, blah, blah, blah. No one wants to hear your shit, Bubblehead!**_ " Boomer could feel a shiver crawl up and down his spine once he heard Jessie's voice. Multiple demonic and unnerving voices were mingling with his own as he taunted her. Boomer looked at his eyes and saw that even the whites of his eyes were now a ruby red color. His body moved in a very robotic yet loose way. He stumbled over his own feet as if he was intoxicated yet his balance was still stable and unwavering. He twitched with every step of his feet. There was something inhuman about the way he moved, and Boomer couldn't help but to feel intimidated. He had to do something before it was too late to bring Jessie, the _real_ Jessie, back.

"Jessie, why are you doing this? Forget about Bubbles, focus on me, focus on only me. Why did you run off with HIM?" The brunette scoffed and rolled his rage filled eyes.

" _ **You don't fucking**_ **deserve** _**to know why I left! It was the best fucking decision I have ever made in my entire shitty life! Now look at me. I have power, I manipulate people into doing what I fucking want them to do, and if they get in my goddamn way or if I just want to, I can kill anyone without fucking mercy!**_ " Boomer's eyes widened slightly. It was true. It was all true.

" _You_ killed them. _You_ started the fire. _You_ put Buttercup through that. _You_ fucked up Blossom. All this time… you were playing us." Jessie chuckled darkly with another roll of his eyes.

" _ **Of**_ **COURSE** _**it was, you dumb oaf! Took you this long to figure it the fuck out? You're superhuman. You should have the fucking brain of one! Now, since that little bit of obvious as fuck information is out of the goddamn way, it's time to wipe you off the face of this shit stained planet. Then, your little bitch will fucking get hers!**_ " Jessie suddenly stopped and tapped his chin in thought. " _ **Huh, maybe I should fuck her, just to spite you. I'll let you watch too. Let you watch as she gets fucked like how a woman wants to fucked. Let you watch her moan out my name as I give it to her like how she would want it.**_ " Boomer growled and shook his head, frowning deeply.

"Stop. I'll never let that happen." Jessie took a few wobbly steps towards him before stopping, tilting his head curiously.

" _ **Why?**_ " he asked.

"Because I love her. And I would never let anything happen to her." Bubbles sat up once she heard his declaration for her and looked on with wide eyes. She struggled to stand up, but hissed once she felt the sudden sting in her right leg. She looked down and saw the gaping cut running down the side of her thigh. She lifted her hand to it and carefully prodded it. She pulled her hand back and hissed again. There was no way she would be able to use it.

"Boomer!" The Rowdyruff spun around and saw his counterpart sitting on the ground with her bloody leg outstretched in front of her. Boomer ran over to her and kneeled down on the ground.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" he asked frantically. Bubbles nodded and smiled up at him.

"Boomer… I-I love you, too. I always have." The Rowdyruff's face broke out into a deep blush. But seeing Bubbles smiling face looking up at him made his embarrassment quickly vanish.

"Bubbles… I'm going to do better this time. I promise you." Bubbles gasped in happiness as her eyes watered. She brought up her hand and pulled Boomer's head down towards hers, planting a deep kiss on his slightly bloody lips.

He couldn't take it. He couldn't take it anymore! Flashes of high school ran through his mind. He _**hated**_ that Powerpuff Girl! He hated her!

 _But she never directly did anything to you…_

 **She stole him away!**

 _They were getting closer before you came into the picture…_

 **She's to blame for everything! Her and her stupid sisters!**

 _What about Spring Break?_

Spring Break? Jessie tried his hardest to remember that time. It was one of his fondest memories. Why couldn't he remember it? All he could see were flashes of every negative memory he had stored up inside him. He had to remember! But part of him didn't want to. He _wanted_ to stay angry and hurt. He _wanted_ to wallow in his own self-hatred! Why did he want to? Why was he doing this? Was Bubbles really to blame? Jessie groaned and clutched at his head, squeezing his eyes shut. Something was stirring inside of him, and it wanted out! He wanted out!

 _Fight this!_

 **Stay this way!**

 _Get better!_

 **To Hell with them all!**

 _I'm not this type of person!_

 **The power!**

 _I don't want this!_

 **Kill them all!**

 _I want to go home!_

 **KILL. THEM. ALL!**

Jessie let out a monstrous scream. The voices became too much. His roar carried into the wind and shook the ground underneath his feet. He subconsciously lifted himself off the ground, and the ground cracked and hissed as he floated higher. Smoke and a crimson red light seeped out of the cracks in the ground, and clouds began to gather overhead. Thunder rumbled deeply, and lightning began to strike through the dark clouds. Boomer shielded Bubbles from the heavy wind that was picking up and glanced up at Jessie. No. He was going to lose Jessie forever if he did nothing!

"Jessie!" Boomer screamed over the howling winds. The brunette's screams stopped all together, and he lowered his head slowly to stare down at Boomer. His eyes were completely tar black. His stare sent chills down the blonde man's spine. "Jessie, please I want to help you!" Boomer motioned for Bubbles to stay where she was as he stood up and slowly made his way towards his friend. The ground continued to shake and crack underneath his feet, and he could even see the planes of the underworld deep down underneath the crust of the Earth.

" _ **You…**_ " Jessie lifted a finger and pointed at the blonde man. Before Boomer knew it, the ground under his feet began to give way. Boomer shook on the spot before he dropped down into the glowing red abyss with a scream. Bubbles gasped, and a rush of adrenaline caused her to forget about the wound on her leg. She stood up and charged at full speed at the large hole in the ground.

" _BOOMER!_ " Jessie turned his attention back to her and gave one swift flick of his wrist. Bubbles was pushed back all the way to where she was seated before. She landed on her wounded leg and yelled out in pain. The ground under Jessie gave way, and the man slowly descended into it. Once he was gone from view, the ground began to reform. Bubbles growled audibly and stood up once more running back to the closing hole in the ground. But before she could reach it, the ground closed up with a quiet hiss.

Bubbles' breath quickened as she stared at the small crack in the ground where Boomer and Jessie disappeared. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no!_ Bubbles fell to the ground and began clawing vigorously at the grass and dirt, letting the grime invade under her nails and stain her soft palms. Her voice came out in strained and desperate pants as she clawed away, letting the grass fly in every direction around her. Just then, Bubbles could pick up a very distinct sound behind her as she continued to claw at the ground. It sounded as if someone was scratching at a balloon. She suddenly remembered that Boomer's beloved canine was locked away in a force field that she created. Bubbles forced herself to cease her frantic pawing at the ground and slowly stood up on shaky legs, trying not to put too much pressure on her injured one. She turned around and limped over to Sasha who was pacing in circles within the glowing bubble with her tail between her legs.

"It's okay, girl. I'll let you out." Bubbles lifted her hand once she was standing in front of the force field and focused her energy on the bubble. The glowing light dimmed as the bubble dissipated into thin air around the white dog. As soon as it was gone, Sasha began to frantically trot around the clearing. Her ears were flat on her head, and she made various painful howls and mournful cries as she glanced at the crack where her lifelong friend was taken. Bubbles held out her arms and leaned down to catch the dog, shushing comfortingly.

"Shh, shh, Sasha." Bubbles wrapped her arms around her as Sasha continued to whine, plopping down on the ground. "We'll get him back, I promise. But right now, we have to tell the others, okay?" Bubbles gave the canine one final squeeze before standing. Sasha lifted herself off the ground reluctantly and glanced over to Bubbles. The Powerpuff Girl was still amazed at how she could basically look Sasha in the eyes without having to look down like she would a normal sized dog. It was bizarre. But the Powerpuff could clearly see the distress in Sasha's blue eyes. It was enough to give her the strength to get Boomer back.

Bubbles led the way out of the forest's edge and towards the suburban road where press and police were all waiting for her, along with concerned citizens. The press quickly rushed up to her and shoved their microphones and recorders in her face while their indistinct questions were paired by the constant flash of cameras. Sasha lowered her head solemnly and cowered behind Bubbles, the loud voices and camera flashes were a sensory overload for her. Bubbles saw the torment on the superdog's face and scrunched up her face in agitation. She turned back to the reporters and decided to put an end to their chatter.

"Will everyone _**SHUT UP?!**_ " Her voice boomed throughout the city street. Her famous Sonic Scream was the prominent factor in her powerful command. The flashes of the cameras stopped, and the multitude of voices instantly ceased. Bubbles sighed and turned around to Sasha. She gave her a comforting rub behind the ears before shoving her way past the stunned reporters. They all parted like the Red Sea to let her and the superdog pass. Bubbles kept her head up as she limped through the silent crowd and pushed her way past the civilians and police. When the two were well away, Bubbles let out a shaky sigh and lifted herself into the air.

"Follow me, Sasha. We're going to get Blossom and Brick." She glanced down at the clock on her phone. "They should be done by now. Come on!" Bubbles took off into a bright blue streak of light. Sasha, unable to fly, sprinted along the sidewalk with her own colorful streak blazing behind her.

* * *

"We'll meet back up again same time next week, okay?" Blossom nodded, wiping the last of her tears with the cluster of tissues in her fevered hand. Brick was comfortingly grasping the other with his, rubbing the back of her knuckles with his thumb. The two thanked the doctor once more before standing up from the large couch and moving into the hallway. Brick wrapped his arm around his counterpart and pulled her closer to his side. Blossom fell into step with him and laid her head down on his broad shoulder.

"You think these are helping, Red?" the large male asked. Blossom sighed and shook her head.

"I don't really know… I mean, it's great to have someone listen to me and give their opinion, but… I don't know. Everything that's happened… It's so much to deal with." Brick nodded and led the Powerpuff to the elevators, pressing the down button.

"It'll get better. I promise." The elevator door dinged, and the two entered the softly lit lift. Brick pressed the number one button and the doors closed slowly. After a moment of silence, Blossom spoke up again.

"Hey, Brick?" The Rowdyruff glanced down at her, feeling slightly disquieted for her next words.

"Yeah?" he asked back. Blossom sniffed, feeling tears prickle at the corners of her eyes.

"I… I'm sorry… I'm sorry that I blamed you f-for everything t-that… i-it wasn't… I'm s-sorry…" Brick quickly pulled Blossom into his chest and let her sob. He shushed her as he rubbed her back soothingly. Her muffled sobs filled the entirety of the lift as they continued down to the ground level.

"It's alright. I forgave you months ago, Red." Blossom sniffed once more before gently pulling away from Brick's hold, wiping her red eyes with her fingers. The elevator finally reached the lobby, and Brick grabbed Blossom's hand, leading her out. Dark clouds were occupied by the deep rumbles of thunder as the two walked to the front door of the building. Once they were outside, Blossom glanced up at the sky and could see a familiar streak making its way towards them. Brick looked out to the other side of the street and also caught sight of a familiar white streak headed their way.

"Bubbles?" The blonde Powerpuff landed gracefully on the ground and wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. Blossom gasped once she saw the state her younger sister was in. "What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?" Blossom rushed over to Bubbles and gently grabbed the blonde's arms, studying every scratch and bruise that plagued Bubbles' body. Brick was greeted with a dirty Sasha who yipped and licked at his face as he leaned down slightly.

"Hey girl. What's wrong? Bubbles, what happened?" Bubbles frowned and shook her head.

"He's gone…" Blossom and Brick exchanged glances before Blossom questioned her sister.

"Who?" Bubbles gulped and her breath came out frantic and shallow.

" _ **Boomer**_! He's _**gone**_! Jessie _**took**_ him!" Brick scoffed in disbelief.

"Jessie what?" Bubbles sniffed and clutched at her forehead with both of her hands.

" **He took him!** Oh god, I should've told you all earlier! This never would… would've happened if it wasn't for me! Jessie was behind it _**all!**_ Vincent, the fire, Buttercup's son, Blossom's mind, our families falling apart, it was all _**him!**_ He did _**EVERYTHING!**_ " Blossom's face scrunched up. _No, no there's no way I blamed Brick for something else someone else did…_

"Bubbles, are you sure?" Bubbles clutched at her hair and stared up at her sister with wide eyes.

" _ **YES!**_ He just took Boomer! The _**fucking**_ ground broke apart, and Boomer fell through and Jessie went inside, too! I have no idea how he got those powers, but… Oh god, oh, god, what have I done?!" Blossom could see her sister unraveling quickly and glanced to Brick. The Rowdyruff was at a loss just the same. Blossom stared back at Bubbles and frowned, hating to see her sister in such a state. She brought Bubbles closer and patted her back.

"It's okay. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Let's-" Suddenly, Blossom's phone rang frantically in her jacket pocket. She pulled it out and saw that her father was trying to call her. She put the phone up to her ear quickly. "Hello?"

" _ **Blossom!**_ Thank goodness… I'm so scared! Are you alright? Are you safe?" Blossom could hear loud crashes and yelling in the background.

"Professor? What- yeah, I just got out of therapy. What's going on?"

"It's Butch! He's gone crazy!" Blossom quickly put the phone on speaker so the other two could hear. "Buttercup came over to my house just a few minutes ago, said that she needed to talk. Then Butch burst into the house and started attacking her out of nowhere!" Blossom glanced over to Brick who walked closer to the phone, anxiety laced onto his face.

"Professor, where are you? Where are they?"

"I'm down in the basement. I wanted to help, but Buttercup locked me in here. I knew I should've installed that other exit a long time ago… They're upstairs, I'm sure you can hear them as clearly as I can." Blossom frowned and placed a hand over her mouth before speaking again.

"Okay, don't worry, dad. We're on our way over!"

"Wait, before you go, you should know that Butch doesn't exactly seem like Butch right now. When he came in his eyes were red and pink, like a mixture between yours and Brick's. He seemed to be completely out of it." Bubbles gasped.

"Jessie… he's not done yet. Boomer isn't the only one he wants to destroy. He wants us all to suffer." Blossom became more worried as the images of a mind controlled Butch brutally attacking her sister without even being able to stop it. She knew that feeling all too well.

"It's okay, Professor we'll-" The wind around her kicked up as she looked up and saw the red streak of Brick flash into the sky. He darted into the direction of Professor's house without even a word. "Brick's on his way, and so are we. Hang tight, dad!" Blossom hung up the phone and placed the phone back in her pocket. "Can you still make it, Bubs?" The blonde Powerpuff took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves before giving a single nod.

"For dad? Yeah." Blossom nodded and took off into the sky after Brick. Bubbles glanced over at Sasha and gave the large canine a pat on her head.

"We'll get Boomer back, girl. Now come on." Bubbles pinged off into the air, and Sasha began to sprint down the streets once more after them.

* * *

Brick landed at the old Powerpuff household and saw the state it was in. The large house was broken down with all of the destruction the greens were causing. There was a gaping hole where the front door should've been. The windows were smashed open on the ground floor. Plaster from the walls littered the cleanly mowed grass and even some of the furniture from the living room stuck out of the large holes in the walls. One half of the building looked close to collapsing in on itself, only being held up by a few pieces of charred wall. Brick wasted no time in rushing over to the house. He entered the dark building and glanced around, seeing no sign of Buttercup nor Butch.

Just then, a figure crashed from the ceiling to the floor in front of him and saw that it was Buttercup. Her limp body was bloody and bruised from the beating his brother was giving her. Brick rushed over to her and turned her on her back to get a better look at her.

"Buttercup? Hey. Hey! Buttercup, open your eyes." Brick patted her cheek firmly. As he was trying to wake her up, Butch's voice boomed from the top of the hole in the ceiling.

" _ **YOU KILLED HIM! YOU NEVER WANTED HIM!**_ " Brick could hear the whoosh of air as Butch charged down after them but paid no mind. As soon as Butch was close enough, Brick waved his hand, and a blast of red energy slammed into his brother, sending him off towards the destroyed living room. Butch smacked face first onto the wall and limply fell to the ground. Brick glanced over to his brother and shook his head.

"Even mind controlled, he's _still_ dumb as fuck." Buttercup suddenly took a deep shaky breath as she came to. Brick cradled her head and placed a hand on her cheek. She coughed a few times before blinking up at the red-eyed male.

"My hero," she snorted dryly. Brick smirked with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, shut up. If it weren't for me, you'd be the thickness of a flapjack by now." Buttercup sighed and struggled to sit up. She grimaced and clutched at her midsection as she pulled herself up.

"Where is he?" she asked. Brick pointed over to the unmoving mass in the living room. "He looked like Blossom. Something is going on, Brick. Someone is messing with us."

"I know. According to Bubbles, it's Jessie." Buttercup scrunched up her face in doubt. "I know. I had the same reaction when she told me and Blossom. Apparently, Jessie took Boomer to what I'm guessing is the Underworld. She was pretty frantic about the whole thing and said that the ground opened up a swallowed Boomer and Jessie." Buttercup scoffed humorlessly.

"Huh, looks like we have to go on another rescue mission. What is it with your brother and being the damsel in distress?" Brick snorted.

"When we get him back, you can ask him. But, for now, we have to get there. Hopefully Mojo still has that portal hooked up and ready to go." Just then, a loud banging came from down the hallway.

"Hello? Buttercup? Is that you?" Buttercup gasped slightly.

"Oh shit, I forgot about Professor!" When she tried to bring herself to her feet, she winced sharply with a hiss and plopped back down on the floor.

"I got him," Brick said. He stood up from the floor and jogged down the hallway to let the Professor out of his lab. John stumbled out of the basement and jumped once he saw Brick standing next to the doorway. He clutched his chest and placed a hand to his head.

"Shit, boy, don't startle an old timer like that." They both chuckled, and Brick closed the lab back up. "Buttercup!" The professor rushed over to his daughter just as Blossom, Bubbles, and Sasha entered the house. Brick slowly waltzed over to join them.

"Our house! Buttercup!" Blossom jogged over to her black haired sister and wrapped her arms around her, squeezing tightly.

"Blossom! Ow, ow! Not so tight, sis!" Blossom quickly retracted.

"Sorry! Goodness, are you okay? Did he hurt you bad? Jesus, I was so fucking scared on my way here!" Buttercup rolled her eyes, thinking Blossom was taking it to heart way too much.

"It was nothing I couldn't handle… But, uh, you should be thanking Brick. He basically saved my life, knocked Butch clean out." The three looked over to the still knocked out Butch then back to Brick. Blossom stood up and rushed over to him, pulling him in for a hug.

"Thank you!" Brick chuckled and patted his counterpart on the back.

"It was nothing. Butch was never the most observant of fighters. One hit and he was out cold."

"John?" The group glanced over to the front door (now hole) and saw a stunned Rachel standing. The cup of coffee that was in her hand slipped from her grasp and spilled on the dusty floor as she eyed the Utonium home. The Professor stood up and dusted off his lab coat the best he could.

"Rachel! Uh… it's a long story." Rachel moved into the house and glanced around the half destroyed building.

"I was out for a few hours, and I come back to _this?_ " John smiled and clasped his hands together.

"Like I said, it's a long story." Rachel gasped once she saw the limp body of Butch in the living room.

"Oh my god, Butch!" The blonde woman ran over to her son and patted his cheek softly. "What happened to him? Someone tell me what happened to my baby?! Where's Boomer? What is going on?!" Brick sighed and walked over to her, kneeling beside her.

"Rachel, mom, Boomer's been taken. Jessie took him to the Underworld. HIM's plane. We have to get him back. Jessie was the one behind everything, Rachel. Vincent, the fire, everything." Rachel frowned.

"What? Jessie? Boomer's high school friend? But he doesn't have powers…does he?" Bubbles hugged herself tightly.

"It's all my fault. Jessie contacted me months ago and told me that he was coming back." Buttercup glanced up at her, slight anger in her eyes.

"What? Why didn't you tell anyone? This shit could've all been avoided. The hell, Bubbles?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep it from anyone! He just started threatening people that I love, all of you, and said that if I told anyone bad things would happen. But he was going to do them anyway, whether I told anyone or not." Blossom shook her head.

"Why us? Why now? He's been gone for almost six years. We looked for him. Why would he want us to suffer like this?" Brick suddenly realized something. That wasn't it! They had it all wrong.

"Unless it's not that simple." The group all turned to him. "That's it. That's it!"

"What's it, honey?" Rachel asked. Brick stood up and paced slightly from side to side, the realization overpowering his mind. His thoughts were moving a mile a minute.

"It's not that simple! Jessie isn't doing this! He was gone that summer in high school after that stuff with Bubbles and him went down. Boomer told me that he had a shitty home life, so think about it. If he had a shitty home life and his feelings for Bubbles and the rest of us were kind of shaky, who would be a better target for someone like HIM? HIM literally _**lives**_ off of miserable feelings in the world. Jessie was the perfect target. HIM took Jessie, manipulated his mind, and used his bad memories against him! HIM is controlling Jessie, guys!" Bubbles gasped slightly. She had it all wrong. They all did!

"That's why he wanted to hurt us. HIM basically amplified his already bad memories, and Jessie saw them as real." Blossom chimed in, suddenly coming to the same conclusion.

"This entire time it wasn't really Jessie at all. It was HIM! Jessie was already close to someone in the group, so HIM used that to his advantage. Jessie really was the perfect target. HIM used Jessie to get to _us_!" Brick nodded.

"Revenge. We destroyed him and his plane of the Underworld. If there is an opportunity for revenge, HIM would be the first one to take it. All this time, Jessie was tortured by his awful memories. That's what fueled him to keep going. Out of all of us, Jessie might need the saving more than anyone." The group fell into silence as the horrible thought of being tortured for over five years straight swam through their minds. What pain Jessie might be going through just to please someone who he thought he could trust. HIM was a master manipulator.

"I can't believe I treated him like I did," Bubbles said, breaking the silence. "I treated him like the 'bad guy' rather than seeing him as someone who might need help. As someone who has no way of escaping. I'm a superhero for fuck's sake! I should know better than to jump to conclusions like that!" Professor walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's not your fault, sweetie." Bubbles shoved his hand off angrily and stormed over to one of the dusty chairs, plopping down in it.

"No! I let my own feelings towards him get the better of me! I was petty and selfish, and I couldn't get over my high school feelings! I'm an _**awful**_ person! Him and Boomer will never be the same way again because of me. This is all my fault! None of this would've happened if it wasn't for me! None of it! I caused _**all**_ of this!" Brick walked over to Bubbles and kneeled down next to her, placing a hand on her back.

"We're all at fault, Bubs-"

"We were dicks to him, too." Rachel gasped joyfully and helped Butch sit up on the floor. He clutched at his bruised head and winced slightly. "This is everyone's fault." Rachel glanced at everyone. They were all defeated and broken in some way. She couldn't stand seeing her family like that. She stood up and firmly placed her hands on her hips.

"Knock it off, all of you!" Everyone turned to her, not familiar with the sternness in the small woman's voice. "Feeling sorry for yourselves isn't going to solve the problem. Boomer _**and**_ Jessie need our help and standing around like a bunch of losers isn't going to bring them back to us! Yeah, you might have all screwed up in the past, but that's just it! It's in the past! No one can change it. And I quote, from the most badass baboon in an animated kids movie, 'you can either run from it, or, learn from it!'" The group snickered as they recognized who she was quoting.

"Really, ma? The Lion King?" Butch chuckled. Rachel stuck her nose up in the air with a smile.

"Don't question me, hon! So, what are we going to do?" Blossom stood up with Buttercup in her arms.

"We're going to get Boomer and Jessie back, safe and sound. But, first, we need a plan. And a portal."

* * *

 **Hello everyone and welcome back to _Time_! I know it's been awhile since the last update, but I have just started my first year of College! So, I've been frazzled to no end for the past week and it's constricted my time to write so greatly. I've been wanting to write this for a while now, but I'm glad I got around to this eventually. **

**So, I feel _Time_ is coming to an end soon. I'm not sure if I want next chapter to be the last or to do another two. I'm leaning more towards another chapter and an epilogue just to show a little bit into the future after the last chapter. I don't believe I'm going to be doing a third installation of the whole _Coming Down/ Time_ arch. I feel that this arch has run its course and it's time to make a new universe with new rules and maybe some new characters, stuff like that. I do, however, want to get back into doing Overworld, which has gotten a lot of praise from people who have PM'd me wanting to continue. I think taking on two stories at once was kind of a bad idea. Especially for stories that are in the same character universe. **

**But, I am doing another story for all of you video gamers out there. It's part of the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim universe and follows my own character in her quest to becoming the Dragonborn. It's already, I think three or four chapters in and I've been taking my time with it since The Elder Scrolls has such a lush lore and background to it. I like to keep the chapters a bit on the long side for that story so I try to keep the minimum words as 10,000. So if you like Skyrim and long chapters, then I would recommend checking it out. I can't wait for the remastered for next gen that's coming out next month!**

 **Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and kinda long update by me and I will see you all in the next one.**

 **Bye guys!**

 ** _~TheRedWolf_ **


	11. Notice for Time

*******ATTENTION NOTICE*******

Hello everyone! So, I know this isn't a new chapter but I just needed to let you all know before I posted more about my plans. Really wish Fanfic made a really intuitive form of reaching out to your readers. Like an Update tab or something where authors can frequently place an update about their story or something. But, until that day, I will just have to reach you like this.

So, _**Time**_ is coming to an end soon. Yes, I know, it is very sad and I know you all like this story, but I may not end it next chapter like I stated last chapter. I've been brainstorming and thanks to one particular reviewer who criticized this story to the teeth ( _I'm not going to put this person on blast, but let's just say you'll know who he/she is when you look at the Review tab_ ), I have decided to add more onto the ending section of this story. Just to give these guys some well-deserved happiness for once in this fucking depressing ass story. I think it will be a good pick-me-up from all that has occurred and it won't be an ass load shorter than _**Coming Down**_. It also won't feel like I'm just ending it just to end it cause I love this story too much to do it like that. Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that.

Oh! Before I forget. I hate to self-advertise here, but I am writing another story in the Game section of Fanfic. It's an _**Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim**_ fic and I keep the chapters are at least 10,000 words long. I have a chapter that is around 14,000 words long. It tells the basic tale of the Dragonborn but with more meat to it, if that makes sense. And I'm planning to keep it going even after the main storyline of the game has ended, just to give it a bit more _umph_ to it. So, if any of you are video game nerds or just like that one particular game (and are as excited as I am to get _**Skyrim: Special Edition**_ on Friday ***squeal!*** ), then you would probably like the story.

So, with all of that said, I shall be off. Thanks guys, for all of your support and reviews and follows and favorites on each of my stories. Really, it means so much to me that people like and pay attention to what I put out. Even if it's negative attention, it still means someone took the time to glance at it. I appreciate it either way. I will see you all in the next chapter! Bye guys!

 _ **~TheRedWolf**_

 **P.S.** Before I forget, there is a notice on **_Overworld_** , too if any of you are double readers and have also been reading that one too.


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